224 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15. 



Chicago firm is surely making a big thing of it. 

 The Bee-keepers' Union ought to have a man 

 in Chicago to look after these swindlers, and 

 give them a warming-up. I think the Union 

 should be so arranged that it would take this 

 adulteration in hand. 



A word in regard to the five-banded bees. I 

 got queens of this much-praised strain, like 

 many others, and kept breeding from them, but 

 only to find out that they were the worst sting- 

 ers and the poorest to winter of any bees that I 

 have tried, and thev certainly were not in it as 

 honey-gatherers. No more such bees for me. 

 Three-banded leather-colored bees are much 

 more docile to handle; or even a cross between 

 them and blacks is not so bad, especially as 

 honey- gatherers. G.E.Nelson. 



Bishop Hill, 111., Jan. 29. 



FIVE-BANDERS AHEAD THIS TIME. 



Last summer I introduced a tested three- 

 banded Italian queen from Hutchinson, and a 

 tested five- banded queen from Laws, to two 

 colonies of black bees. Thpy began laying 

 within 24 hours of each other. The two col- 

 onies were so near of equal strength, and so 

 even in their stores of honey and in amount of 

 brood, etc., at the time of introducing, that I 

 could not see any difference. Each colony was 

 in good temporary shape, but was in need of 

 some fall honey flow for winter. The bulk of 

 their subsequently gathered stores came in 

 after the two colonies had a large preponder- 

 ance of yellow bees (vervain, willow-herb, and 

 erigonum in late August and »September); and 

 I could not see any difference in the activity of 

 the two colonies. But now, after the middle 

 of January, the five-banded colony is nearly 

 twice as populous, and, of course, the bees fly 

 much more freely in sunny weather. In fact, 

 the five-banders are all right, while the three- 

 banders are going to need careful treatment to 

 make them pull through till the permanent 

 honey-flow in the spring. I recognize that this 

 comparison of two individual colonies under 

 such like conditions does not furnish any con- 

 clusive testimony: but I know it is just as good 

 as lots of the adverse testimony that is sent 

 you. 



The winter has been cold and dry. Rain 

 came unusually early in the fall. December 

 and first half of January were cold and frosty 

 and dry. P"'arming was much delayed. But a 

 glorious storm has just prevailed, and the pros- 

 pect has wonderfully brightened. We may 

 have a good season after all. Farmers lost 

 faith too soon. A. Norton. 



Monterey, Cal., Jan. 20. 



same, I would suggest that article 5 be changed 

 to read as follows: " Any person may become 

 a member by paying to the secretary an en- 

 trance fee of $1.00, and each year thereafter an 

 annual due of 25 cents. The annual dues shall 

 be paid on or before Jan. 1st of each year; and 

 if not paid within three months thereafter, such 

 members shall be suspended, and shall receive 

 no benefit from the society thereafter unless 

 reinstated; but any delinquent member may be 

 reinstated at any time by paying all back dues 

 and one year's dues in advance." 



I believe that, by reducing the dues as indi- 

 cated above, the membership would be increas- 

 ed so that, in five years, the treasury will be in 

 better shape than it will be to keep the present 

 high rate. But the paltry dollar is not what is 

 needed at present so much as increase of mem- 

 bership: and if the dues were reduced to 25 

 cents, nearly every bee-keeper could keep up 

 his membership dues, after paying the admis- 

 sion fee, without feeling it as a burden as he 

 does now. I am not a member, and do not ex- 

 pect to be unless it is made less expensive than 

 at present. Two seasons without a pound of 

 honey to ship make one feel too poor to indulge 

 in expensive luxuries. S. H. Mallorv. 



Decatur, Mich. 



REPORT ON RAPE AS A HONEY -PLANT. 



You ask about rape. I got a few pounds of 

 you last spring, and it grew well here. The 

 bees worked on it lively, but it don't pay to sow 

 it for honey alone. I would ask j ou where to 

 find a market to sell it. 



Clarkson, S. D. Daniel Danielson. 



[The rape that is used as a honey-plant is 

 worth wholesale about 15.00 per 100 lbs. It is 

 used for feeding canaries, for making oil, and 

 the plant is used to some extent as a forage- 

 plant. Hut the new Dwarf E-^sex rape has tak- 

 en the place of it for the latt' r purpose. I pre- 

 sume it can be sold wholesale to seed-dealers. 

 I will make an effort to find a market for it. — 

 A. I. R.] 



favors the five-banded BEES. 



Mr. A. Norton, in Gleanings, calls for fair 

 play in regard to five-banded bees, and wants 

 all to give public testimony. With me they 

 have proved to be the best bees I ever owned, 

 all things considered, and I have given them 

 quite an extensive trial. J. F Ginn. 



Ellsworth, Me.— American Bee Journal. 



THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION OF THE BEE- 

 KEEPERS' UNION. 



I have been reading the constitution of the 

 North American Bee-keepers' Union: and as 

 you invite suggestions from bee-keepers on the 



The penalty for selling adulterated honey in 

 this State is WOO, or three months in jail, or 

 both. R. E. Zimmerman. 



Selma, Cal., Jan. 9. 



[Good for California! Now if all the rest of 

 the States would follow suit, and fine and im- 

 prison a few, right and left, to let the great 

 wide world know that we mean business, then 

 we might be making some headway. I am 

 proud to say that our own State of Ohio is just 

 now doing some vigorous work in the way of 

 enacting laws imposing severe penalties for 

 adulterating any thing in the way of food or 

 food products. — A. I. R.] 



