1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



639 



Here is one report against the Langdon non- 

 swarming attachment. It is non-swarming, 

 sure. It runs the brood nearly all out of both 

 hives, and does not increase the amount of 

 bees or honey, so far as I can see. 



Worcester, N. Y. W. H. Mallory. 



I adjusted one of the Langdon devices to 

 guard colonies, and the one shut in smothered 

 to death. The bees just covered the device so 

 they could not get out. Every bee died. 



Rodney, Iowa. C. J. Barber. 



AN INGENIOUS RECEPTACLE FOR GATHERING 

 FRriT. 



Friend Root: — Your mention, on p. tiKi, of 

 •lohn Chinaman's expert way of carrying loads 

 behind and before, so as to be self-balancing, 

 calls to mind a way of gathering and carrying 

 fruit which I learned in Florida, which I think, 

 if not generally known, will prove a boon to 

 some shoulder-blistered fruit-gatherers who 

 still use the fruit-bag slung on the side, and 

 its weight all borne by one shoulder, which is 

 cut and blistered by the narrow strap. 



Down there, for gathering oranges they use 

 a sack made in the shape of a shirt — a long one 

 — strong Osnaburg is the material. In the 

 lower hem, which reaches below the knees 

 when put on, a cord is inserted, with eyelet 

 holes in front, for the ends of the cord or tie- 

 string. The fruit-picker puts on the shirt over 

 his other clothing, and. adjusting this bottom 

 hem about his waist, draws the strings tight 

 and ties, thus ma.king a bag all around him, of 

 commodious dimensions, into which he can 

 rapidly pass the fruit, through the opening in 

 front. 



When loaded, his burden is distributed evenly 

 around his body, the weight being borne by 

 both shoulders, and. to some extent, by the back 

 and waist: his equilibrium is still maintained, 

 and he can descend the ladder, and, generally, 

 handle himself with far greater ease than 

 when using the lop-sided satchel plan, which 

 not only hurts his shoulder but throws him out 

 of plumb, and makes his movements awkward 

 and clumsy. When emptying out his fruit the 

 picker simply stoops over the box or basket and 

 allows the fruit to roll out, breaking the fall 

 with his hands. 



It is easy to see. that not only is this way of 

 carrying fruit the least trying to the workman, 

 but it enables him also to carry more at pvery 

 load, and he can gather fruit faster, it is claim- 

 ed, than by any other plan. C. P. Coffin. 



Pontotoc, Miss., Aug. 5. o 



[Friend C. we are verv much obliged indeed 

 for your suggestion. The only trouble just 

 now with us, around here, is to find the fruit to 

 gather. A very small bag would hold pretty 

 much all we get on any one tree.J 



HUMBUGS AND SWINDLES. 



ground and roasted, makes a fair substitute for 

 coffee, and is used for this purpose quite a little in 

 parts of Indiana and Illinois. The "American" 

 part of it is the clieek of the " introducer," who calls 

 it a new thing- and wants to cliarse 10 times what it 

 is worth. Tlie Gt'oreia Experiment Station lias sent 

 out a bulletin describing tlie matter. 



H. W. COLr.iNGWooD, Editor Rural New-Yorker. 



Friend M.. will you please tell us where you 

 saw the American coffee-berry advertised? 

 and. if you can, forward this to the editors ac- 

 cepting such advertisements. We had heard 

 of it before, but wanted to be sure we were 

 right. 



REPORTS ENCOURAGING. 



This is the best sea- 



T. DOOLEY. 



Bees are just boomin 

 son in five years. 

 Sweet Springs, W. Va.. July 31. 



I shall have over 3000 lbs. of honey from 45 

 colonies, many of them in a weak condition in 

 the spring. B. W. Peck. 



Richmond, O., July 31. 



Bees are just "humpin" themselves. Some 

 colonies have made me over 100 lbs. each, and 

 going on the fourth set of sections. 



Alexandria, Ind. E. E. Edwards. 



We will give the correct weight of the num- 

 ber of pounds of honey one swarm gathered. 

 The swarm was hived July 15. on empty combs 

 from the extractor, and we set it on the scales. 

 Honev from white clover — July 16. stored lii:^ 

 lbs.; July 17, stored 13 lbs.; July 18, stored 9 

 lbs., all from Italian bees and queens reared in 

 our apiary. Coi.e it Lowers. 



Latona, Wash., July 19. 



20 TONS OF honey FROM 176 COLONIES. 



As you asked for reports, I will give you ours 

 up to date. We have made 20 tons of honey 

 from 176 colonies. They were weak in spring; 

 but by giving close attention we got them in 

 fine condition for the first honey-flow. The 

 honey here is of a very fine quality this season, 

 as the bees could get it more easily from the 

 sage than from any other flower. The apiarists 

 of this locality are holding their crop at 5>.^ 

 cents. Emerson Bros. 



Santa Ana, Cal., July IS. 



the best of success. 



I am having the best of success. I am still in 

 the Smilery. I have 27 stands, 30 of which are 

 on Hoffman frames, so you see I am making 

 haste toward an apiary. Your suggestion of 

 giving new swarms frames of brood and honey 

 is just perfection. I owe ray entire success to 

 this und the A B C. lam much elated now; 

 but by spring I may be in Blasted Hopes, and 

 may feel just like the fellow you pictured sit- 

 ting on an inverted bee-gum. But I hope I 

 may never look like him. J. J. Temple. 



Lewisville. Tex., July 30. 



THE AMERICAN COFFEE-BERRY. 



Mr K(»>^-— What is your opinion of the American 

 coffee-berries that are being advertised? Do you 

 think that they will become very popular among 

 the farming class of people ? J. McQueen. 



Baltic, Oliio, July 24. 



As the above is a little out of our line, we 

 forwarded it to the editors of the Rjiral New- 

 Yorker, who make the following reply: 

 r.This " American coffee-berry " seems to be the 

 Japanese Soy bean, which has been tested at several 

 of our Experiment Stations. The bean, when 



REPORTS Discouraging. 



No honey from my 19 hives this season. 

 Dardenne, Mo. Willie C. Wilson. 



Bees did scarcely any thing last season, and 

 they are the same this. Drouth was partly the 

 cause. About half died last winter, caused by 

 lack of stores, cold weather, and candied honey. 

 For two or three years the honey has been can- 



