64t 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15. 



exaggerated. I would rather have a ton of 

 good old stable manure than a like quantity of 

 the best night-soil. 



Additional Editorial. 



Mk. Hutchinson, in the Review, pertinently 

 asks the question, in reference to the subject of 

 number-tags for hives, " Why is it necessary to 

 have numbers at all?" Our colonies at the 

 Home of the Honey-bees have never been num- 

 bered, because we did not consider it necessary. 

 But a large number of practical bee-keepers. 

 Dr. Miller among them, consider it almost in- 

 dispensable. This is especially true when rec- 

 ord-books are kept. 



The amalgamation of the N. A. B. K. A. 

 with the B. K. U. is still somewhat an open 

 question. A great majority, I fear, do not care 

 very much one way or the other; but those who 

 have expressed themselves at all, seem to be 

 nearly all in its favor. So far as I can see, 

 there is every argument in its favor, and little 

 or nothing against it: and were it not for the 

 General Manager of the Union, under whose 

 leadeiship that organization has done so well, 

 I should feel that the cortibining of the two so- 

 cieties was a virtually accomplished fact. I 

 raiher suspect the subject will be warmly dis 

 cussed at the next meeting at Toronto. 



Some one has said that Dr. Miller ought to 

 label his jokes; at all events, a writer in one of 

 the Australian papers takes one a little serious- 

 ly. Here is what he says: 



Dr. Miller's Stiaws seemingly at times get very 

 much astray. Here is a sample from Gleanings : 

 "The Auatralian Bee Bulletin says, at the last of 

 January, ' Swarming- may now be said to be prac- 

 tically over.'— I sliould think so ! That accounts 

 for the big crops they get there. We could get big 

 crops too if we would work the poor loees 

 right through the winter."— The good doctor lias 

 evidently lost sight of tlie fact that, while January 

 is the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere, 

 it is the middle of summer liere in Australia. 



If the writer of the above could have seen the 

 comical twinkle on the doctor's face, he would 

 not have found it necessary to explain to him 

 what was perfectly evident to the doctor. Now 

 the joke is on [loud laughter] our Australian 

 friend. 



specify the former, those not mentioned would 

 "howl," and claim that they were not used 

 right. Furthermore, I do not know all of the 

 breeders who are conscientiously rearing five- 

 banders that are strictly from Italian stock, 

 and are all that is claimed for them; and I do 

 not feel it my duty to keep still when I know 

 that at least part of the five-banders that are 

 reared, and perhaps a large percentage, are as 

 cross as hybrids, and lacking in good wintering 

 qualities. I do know that very little fault is 

 found with leather-colored stock reared by any 

 breeder. This stock does not win favor because 

 of beauty, but because of real merit; .and real 

 merit is bound to win and bound to please in 

 the end. 



THE GOOD AND BAD FIVE-BANDERS. 



Onh: good brother bee-keeper, a queen-breed- 

 er, writes that I am doing an injustice to a 

 certain class of breeders when I say that the 

 five-banders are not all bad, and that this stock 

 from some breeders is all right; that, more- 

 over, when I do not specifically name the 

 breeders who furnish the nice five-banders, the 

 good breeders are classed with the bad. Well. 

 I grant there is something in this; but if I 



No more flgwort seed wanted. 



HONEY-PACKAGES. 



We hare a good supply of honey-packages, listed 

 in our catalog, ready for prompt sliipment to those 

 in need. If there is something in the line of honey- 

 packages which you prefer, and we do not list, call 

 our attention to it and we may be able to supply 

 you. We have something new to offer which we 

 will illustrate in our next issue. 



BUSHEL, BOXES. 



We are having a booming trade in bushel boxes, 

 the oi'ders averaging 300 to 500 a day. We are get- 

 ging them otf with reasonable promptness, consid- 

 ering the disadvantages under which we work with 

 our wood-working building shut down for repairs. 

 We expect to be running again full blast witliln a 

 week or two at the outside, and can take care of all 

 orders entrusted to us. We have a rip and a cut-off 

 saw in our packing- room, to fallback on till our 

 other machinery is in shane to run. 



CALIFORNIA SAGE HONEY. 



Our car of extracted white-sage honey has just 

 arrived as we go to prtss, and proves to he extra 

 fine and white so far as we have examined it. This 

 is the kind of honey whieli does not granulate, and 

 for that reason it Is very desirable to put up in 

 glass packages tor retail, t)ecause it remains liquid 

 almost Indelftnitely. We offer it in cases of 2 cans, 

 120 lbs. to the case, at 8 cts. per lb. A single can at 

 8V2 cts. ; large lots at special prices quoted on ap- 

 plication. Samples free to prospective customers; 

 to others, 5 cts. each to pay for package and post- 

 age. 



THAT NEW EDITION OF THE A B C OF BEE CULTURE. 



We are pleased to announce the long-looked-for 

 and much-sought-after new edition, the 62d thou- 

 sand, is finally completed. We have been a long 

 while in getting it .from the press, it is true; but be- 

 sides the usual large revisions, we have added 48 

 extra pages of entirely new matter to an already 

 large book, so that it now contains 472 page's, double 

 column, like these, and still the price will not be in- 

 creased. Besides the numerous changes and addi- 

 tions to the body of the work, to bring the matter 

 clear up to the present state of the industry, we 

 have greatly enlarged the biographical department, 

 and new faces of prominent bee-keepers, who have 

 made a success, :a'e sliown wilh appropriate sketch- 

 es. The picture-gallery also comes in greatly ex- 

 panded, with short description of each picture. 

 These iMfturt's are lar^ie half-tones illustrating api- 

 aries, exhil)iis, and other phases of bee-keeping. 



Altliuugh tlie work is supposed to cover every sub- 

 ject on whicli beginners desire information, we 

 have collected together in one department of 33 



