1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



185 



seems to cover the rocky mountain-side and 

 banks beside the stream; but I rather think it 

 was a glimpse of winter from somewhere. 

 Then I thought it belonged to the vicinity of 

 the great irrigating canal in Cache Valley, 

 Utah, between Salt Lake City and Ogden. If 

 .so, it must have been a view taken from a mov- 

 ing train. I know 1 tried several times to get 

 such views, but they were a failure; but the 

 above seems to be a pretty good one. If no one 

 recognizes it, then it will have to pass as a 

 glimpse of some unknown locality. 



ll°2 PER YEARS 



So God created man in his oivn image.— Gen. 1 : 27. 



Eight extra pages as usual. 



The Tunisians, a'ias Funics, alias North Af- 

 ricans, alias Minorcans, are wintering nicely, 

 with the exception that they appear to have 

 lost their old queen. 



We take special pride in the amount and high 

 character of the advertising in our pages of 

 late. Our patrons are beginning to lind that our 

 large subscription list brings in the responses. 

 Estimates on advertisements gladly furnished. 



Our bees have never gone so long without a 

 cleansing flight as this winter. Our apiarist 

 thinks their last one was during the latter part 

 of November. In our locality the bees usually 

 get out two or three times during winter. We 

 anticipate no serious consequences, however. 



One of our subscription clerks reports that 

 new names are coming in faster than he ever 

 knew them to do before. By the way, it is re- 

 markable how our fAcl subscribers stay with us 

 in spite of the succession of poor bee seasons. 

 We take just a little pride in the fact that the 

 subject-matter of our pages speaks for itself. 



The "Condensed View of Current Bee-writ- 

 ings," by E. E. Hasty, in the Review, is quite a 

 success. But instead of being a review it is a 

 plt-asant, spicy dissertation on ideas, things, 

 and persons in other journals. If Hasty can 

 "hold out" as well as this. Bro. Hutchinson 

 will have to work hard at his end of the "even- 

 er" to keep up. 



It will be remembered that we didn't get a 

 taste of those honey caramels sent by the Muths 

 — they were gone before we could. Another 

 box was sent for us. We try to be generous, 

 but somehow that second lot was nearly all 

 gone before any one else had a chance at them. 

 This is not a paid editoral (because this space 

 can not be bought at any price), but an expres- 

 sion of opinion of the di'Served merits of the 

 new honey confection -ry. Then, too, we see in 

 this candy a big outlet for honey, and the 

 Muths should be encouraged. See their " ad " 

 elsewhere. 



Variety is the spice of life, even in journal- 

 ism. If all our correspondents wrote in the 

 same conventional style, even on new and pleas- 

 ant themes, there would be a sort of tiresome 

 sameness. We liave in the past varied the 



routine somewhat by the introduction of Stray 

 Straws, Rambler, and other illustrated articles, 

 and some others of a peculiar nature. In this 

 issue we let a new writer introduce himself in 

 his own way, in the personage of Jake Smith. 

 We have long had him in mind; and, knowing 

 his quaint, honest ways, asked him to write. 

 This he has consented to do. 



On page 37 of the last Revieiv, E. A. Daggitt 

 has a valuable article on smokers. He says, 

 quite truly, that the big end of the bellows 

 should point toward the nozzle of the smoker, 

 and that said nozzle should be curved, so as to 

 send a stream of smoke at right angles to the 

 plane of the bellows. This arrangement is 

 handier in that the smoker can be held right 

 side up, and as the thick end of the bellows 

 then comes between the thumb and lingers, a 

 better and more satisfactory hold is maintained. 

 From numerous trials that we have made of 

 smokers made on this combination, we are sure 

 the principle is right. By the way, the Crane 

 smoker is nearing perfection, and arrangements, 

 we hope, will be made soon to put them on the 

 market. Its smoking capacity is simply won- 

 derful. 



Of the colonies under absorbing cushions, 

 nine are dead so far (Feb. 37) this winter. 

 Those under sealed covers can not be readily 

 examined without breaking the sealing, and, of 

 course, we can not tell how such colonies com- 

 pare with those under absorbing cushions; but 

 we shall know in the spring. So far as we can 

 determine from the appearances at the en- 

 trances of colonies under sealed covers, all is 

 going well. Of the nine dead ones mentioned 

 at the outset, four died from dysentery, and 

 the rest apparently froze to death, being very 

 weak late in the fall. It is evident that the 

 very severe winter so far will go a little harder 

 on outdoor-wintered colonies. Those in the 

 cellars or repositories will winter fully as well 

 as if not better than last year, or, in fact, during 

 three or four of the preceding open winters. 



After reading the proof-page of Mr. Cowan's 

 article in this issue, regarding Prof. Cook's 

 quotation from "The Honey-bee," it occurred 

 to us that possibly our proof-reader was inad- 

 vertently responsible for the change in the 

 reading of the passage in question. An exami- 

 nation of the manuscript shows that the mat- 

 ter was printed exactly as written. We are 

 sure Pi'of. Cook did not intend to misrepresent 

 Mr. Cowan's views; but a hasty reading, proba- 

 bly, caused him to skip the comma; and, as the 

 sentence seemed to support his position, he, 

 without saying they were hisown. unwisely in- 

 dicated italics on the word "digestion," togive 

 his understanding of the passage greater force. 

 Of course, it will be seen that this made quite a 

 decided difference in meaning— one that its au- 

 thor does not care to father; hence there is all 

 the more reason that Mr. Cowan should be al- 

 lowed to explain himself. 



OPIUM AND STARVATION. 



Mrs. Axtell sends us tract giving the fol- 

 lowing statement : 



" Tlie ffross imnual revenue dtrivecl by tlie Indian 

 jroveniment from opium iias not Ix-en far from $32- 

 (XJO.OUO." 



Then she pencils in the margin: 



It is the devotinff of so mucli land to the produc- 

 tion of the poppy to g-et oi)ium. so thc^ Minsionarn 

 Herald says, that is one great cause of the farnine 

 in India— it is Uir grreat cause. 



Roseville, 111. Mks. L. C. Axtki.i,. 



