878 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1. 



ecQtion it can stand up with the best. It seems 

 Sagely conducted, and I hope it may achieve 

 tlae first word in its present name. 



Hasty advises the C. B. J. to leave out the 

 sprinkling of short jol<:es. Don'i you do it, Hol- 

 termann. We need more fun. Why, Hasty 

 himself is so bubbling over with good-natured 

 fun that it spices ail he says. His articles 

 would be excellent food without the spice, but 

 they're much more palatable with it. 



An accident furnished me a strong argu- 

 ment against loose frames, if such argument 

 was needed. By some means a hive was turned 

 on its side, and lay thus for a few days. The 

 frames all settled down in a pile. Fixed dis- 

 tances would have held ihem in their places. 

 Still, such an accident occuis only once in 32 

 years. 



PREPARING FOR NEXT SEASON. 



OLD FOUNDATION AS GOOD AS NEW. 



By the time this number of Gleanings will 

 have reached its readers, the bees will have all 

 been housed for winter, or should be. at least, 

 and the intelligent apiarist will be asking him- 

 self the question, '"What next?" The next 

 thing to be done, it seems to me, is to prepare 

 for next season. He who fails to prepare now 

 for the season to come, often finds the season 

 upon him and lie unprepared. The time to 

 prepare is always when we have the tiine to 

 prepare, not afterwaid. Therefore, when our 

 bees are safely fixed for winter we should go to 

 work in such away that our "dish' will be 

 sure to be right side up when the "raining of 

 honey" comes next June and July. To this 

 end. all the hives not occupied by the bees 

 should be brought ai'ound and repaired if 

 necessary, cleaned of piopolis, etc., and painted 

 if necessary. If we do not have as many as we 

 may reasonably expect to use, new ones siiould 

 be made, so that all will be in readiness at a 

 moment's notice when swarming time arrives 

 in 18114. If we are to use foundation or starters 

 of foundation in our frames, let this foundation 

 be procured and fastened in the frames during 

 the winter while we have leisure. Don't listen 

 to those who tell you that the bees will not 

 work the foundation only as it is new from the 

 mill; for in an experience of years I can not see 

 any difference between foundation fresh from 

 the mill and that which has been stored away 

 in the frames for years, as regards tlie bees ac- 

 cepting it. To be sure, to me this old founda- 

 tion looks cold and hard; and, while looking at 

 it these cold winter days, my sympathies go 

 out toward those who say the bees will not 

 accept it; but when next June arrives, and I 

 lift out this same " hard " sheet from the bees, 

 after it has been in the hive an hour, I find it 

 all soft and pliable, and just as good as new, or 

 that which has been dipped in tepid water so 

 as to restore its color, etc., as some advise. 



Having tlie hives all in readiness, put them 

 away where they will be handy when needed, 

 and look after the surplus arrangements next. 

 These should be cleaned of propolis, and repair- 

 ed where necessary; and if we dp not have 

 enough, let new ones be made. To arrive at 

 the number we wish, I have come to the con- 

 clusion that I am not sure to secure the best 

 results unless I allow at least room for 1.50 lbs. 

 capacity to each old colony in the spring, where 

 working for comb honey, or 250 where working 

 for extracted honey. Less than this finds me 

 " napping," about one year in eight, with less 

 money to jingle in my pockets than I might 

 have had. The sections to fill our wide frames 

 or cases should next be procured, made, and 



filled with full sheets of foundation or starters, 

 as we have elected to do. When tilled as above 

 they are to be placed in tlieir holders, and all 

 fixed in readiness to use, so packed that all 

 dust, dirt, and mice are excluded from them. 



We now have time to study on any experi- 

 ments we have thought we should like to make 

 when we were so busy during the last season; 

 and by studying the matter over we shall see 

 what material and fixtures we shall needtocarry 

 out these experiments. Much good to tlie bee- 

 keeping fraternity is often lost by lack of time 

 to experiment just when the "fit is on," and 

 then allowing the tiling to die without further 

 thought in the matter. To overcome this tend- 

 ency I jot down the new tilings I should like 

 to try when they come to me; and if I do not 

 liave time to put them in practice then, I look tliis 

 "jotting down" over during the winter, and 

 prepare to carry out the plans the next season. 

 If, after carrying out, we find these experiments 

 successful, we should then give them to the 

 world to pay the debt we owe to those who 

 liave come liefore us and prepared the way for 

 our successful practice of the plans they origi- 

 nated. Don't be selfish, and ti'y to keep what- 

 ever good you may have found to yourself; for 

 in giving to the world there comes the greatest 

 reward. Above all else in importance is a 

 thorough knowledge of apiculture, and the long 

 winter evenings which are upon us are just the 

 time to gain this knowledge. Get around the 

 back volumes of Gleanings, and other bee- 

 papers if you liave them; also any bee-books 

 you may have, and thoroughly read them till 

 what they contain is fully impressed upon the 

 mind, so as to put what you learn in practice 

 the next season, so as to be always advancing, 

 instead of standing still or retiograding. Do 

 this instead of spending your evenings at the 

 store, saloon, or hotel, listening to the idle gos- 

 sip, or worse than gossip, and, my word for it, 

 you will make a success of bee-keeping which 

 will astonish those about you. 



Not long ago, while passing the saloon in our 

 place I saw through the open door one of our 

 would-be bee- keepers standing at the bar, ap- 

 parently about to treat others gathered around, 

 to that which has the power of not only wreck- 

 ing any business, but destroying both soul and 

 body. No wonder such a one does not succeed. 

 If you ai'e not interested to an extent sufficient 

 to make you prefer the study of bees to the 

 places named above, I can give no assurance of 

 success; but. on the contrary. I shall be obliged 

 to predict only failure, as all my knowledge of 

 the pursuit compels me to say that the idea 

 that " bees work for nothing and board them- 

 selves '■ is a mistaken one. G. M. Doolittle. 



Borodino, N. Y. 



A DISCOURAGING SEASON FOR SOUTH CARO- 

 LINA. 



J. D. FOOSHE REPLIES TO MB. CORMAL. 



Friend Root:— I had hoped all along that we 

 should have a good fall for honey, and that we 

 should get enough for the bees to winter on, if 

 no more; but the season is over, and this is the 

 first one that I have ever known when bees had 

 to be fed here to carry them through the winter. 

 I shall have to feed at least 20 or 25 colonies. 

 About that number may make out with what 

 they have, as they were stronger, and not drawn 

 on as were the others. In March, and up to the 

 middle of April, my bees never did better. I 

 had about (50 colonies— 40 reasonably good ones, 

 and the rest good strong nuclei. I had more 

 swarms than for several years. They built up 

 rapidly on seven-top turnip, and were in good 



