1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



221 



My experience differs from Mr. Ford's in 

 that my Italians have been much more prone 

 to the disease than blacks. The disease is so 

 erratic, however,- that we can learn the real 

 facts about it only by comparing experiences 

 of many men with it. No one of us has experi- 

 ence enough with it to be sure we know any 

 thing about it, except that we want as little of 

 it as possible. I somewhat doubt your being 

 right in your footnote. My own experience 

 has covered at least 150 cases of the disease, if 

 not more, during the past 15 years, both in 

 Iowa and in Florida. If Mr. Ford or any one 

 else has had more experience than that, they 

 have my hearty sympathy. 



Stuart, Fla. O. O. Poppleton. 



[When I appended the footnote in question I 

 was under the impression that Mr. Ford had 

 had more experience with bee-paralysis than 

 any other bee-keeper. You probably have had 

 more cases of the disease than Mr. Ford, and 

 we award the palm to you— a distinction that 

 you perhaps would just as soon not have. — Ed.] 



GKAFTING QUEEN- CELLS; WHEN WAS IT FIRST 

 PRACTICED ? 



Dr. Miller asks, "Who first invented inocula- 

 tion, or the plan of transferring a worker-larva 

 to a queen-cell?" and was it known so long 

 ago in this country as 1879?" To the first 

 question I answer, I don't know, to the latter, 

 yes. I raised about 80 queens by this process 

 in 1876, and about the same number in 1877, 

 and have practiced the plan more or less every 

 year since. We call it " grafting," and think it 

 a more appropriate name. My plan has been 

 to remove the queen from a strong colony, and 

 let them raise cells. At the end of 4 days re- 

 move the larv;e from all cells started, and re- 

 place with larvae from a choice queen. By this 

 plan I have raised some very choice queens. 

 Occasionally they will tear down a few of the 

 cells, and sometimes raise others. To guard 

 against the latter, cut the cells out as soon as 

 grafted; fit them into empty comb, or comb 

 containing no brood; then all the cells perfect- 

 ed in this comb will be "grafted" cells. I 

 think the natural cells, tilled naturally with 

 royal jelly, preferable to artificial cell-cups. 

 In the former you find the cells well filled with 

 royal jelly; and by selecting larva^ as young as 

 will " lift " from the cell, you have them abun- 

 dantly fed from the start, but not so in the lat- 

 ter; and the Irvaie are liable to be neglected 

 too long before being properly fed, unless you 

 are careful to give them an abundance of royal 

 jelly when you graft. R. Touchton. 



Santa Paula, Cal. 



A COAT OF OIL VERSUS PAINT FOR HIVES. 



Mr. Root: — Solomon says, " There is nothing 

 new under the sun." When I read E. B. 

 Thomas' article in the American Bee Journal, 

 I said to myself, " practical men know better." 

 They know that oil is but the medium to mix 



with a substance to spread it on the surface of 

 wood or other material, to protect it from the 

 action of the elements. Oil, while it may pene- 

 trate the wood, and for a time protect its sur- 

 face, soon washes ofif and out, leaving the ma- 

 terial unprotected. He says the coloring mat- 

 ter fades and becomes chalky. Granted; but 

 this only proves the oil has gone out. The 

 mineral remains some time after. A coat of 

 oil on this renews its vitality to a certain ex- 

 tent, but not equal to a new coat of pigment 

 applied. The application of a coat of oil may 

 seem cheaper; but when we take into consider- 

 ation the fact that this will endure but a short 

 time, while a coat of paint will endure three 

 times longer, the difference is on the wrong 

 side. 



Excuse my troubling you; but I consider it a 

 duty to prevent the general public being misled. 

 Finally, avoid all ready-mixed paints except of 

 guaranteed purity. Use only pure white lead 

 and linseed oil, mixing and tinting it yourself. 

 B. F. Onderdonk 



Mountain View, N. J., Jan. 7. 



[This is right according to our experience. — 

 Ed.] 



alfalfa in ohio. 



Mr. Root:— I bought of you last spring 10 lbs. 

 of.alfalfa clover seed, and sowed it on with oats. 

 I also sowed red clover alongside of it. I find 

 at this writing the alfalfa is thick and green all 

 over the ground, while the red clover is nearly 

 all gone. Now, I want to ask you if alfalfa 

 will do well to sow this spring on ground that 

 was sown in wheat last fall. If not, when is 

 the -best time to sow it, and how sow it? We 

 sow our red clover here on our wheat in March; 

 and if alfalfa would do to sow the same, I 

 should like to try it further this spring. 



Quarry, O., Feb. 16. ^.W. J. Miracle. 



[Why, friend M., you seem to be better able 

 to advise in regard to sowing alfalfa than we 

 are. I am rejoiced to know that it has been so 

 much of a success right here in our own State. 

 My impression is, that it will not answer to sow 

 it as early as we sow red clover. The oats you 

 put in were probably sown late. The best suc- 

 cess I have known around here is where the 

 ground was very rich, either naturally or arti- 

 ficially, well underdrained, and where the seed 

 was put in pretty thick, say 15 or 20 lbs. to the 

 acre. Some writers have suggested even 25. It 

 does not pay to be saving of the seed when the 

 crop is to stand almost a lifetime. Get a good 

 stand on good rich ground carefully prepared, 

 and you have it year after year as long as you 

 live— i. e., if it is done right. There must not be 

 standing water at any season. Alfalfa will not 

 bear it. I think it may be put in the ground 

 any time from April until June 1, or perhaps 

 later.— A. I. R.] 



MALTED AND COWS' MILK FOR BEE-FEED. 



I see in Gleanings that father Langstroth 

 suggested the use of milk and honey for feed 

 for brood-rearing. In the spring of 1883 I and 

 Dr. N. P. Allen, Ex. Pres. of the North Ameri- 

 can Bee-keepers' Society, at his apiary at 



