264 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 1. 



FRUIT BLOOM IN FLORIDA. 



There are many Le Conte and Kieffer pear- 

 trees in this locality, and they are now white 

 with bloom, with bees humming over them. 

 Peach and nectarine trees are lovely in their 

 pink garb, and all nature rejoices. Honey 

 peaches are as large as hazelnuts, which taper 

 to a point; but peentoes are flat, like a small 

 tomato. These early varieties of peaches have 

 so far escaped injury from frost. 



The ti-ti is now blooming, and many other 

 flowers, so that bees have no lack of pasture, 

 even if the orange bloom has disappeared for 

 the present. Mrs. L. Ha.rrison. 



St. Andrews Bay, Fla., Mar. 14. 



ANOTHER INSTANCE OF SLIPSHODNE8S IN PUT- 

 TING UP HONEY. 



The article by G. F. Robbins, page 171, and 

 your editorial, page 183, on slipshod methods of 

 putting up honey, induce me to report the fol- 

 lowing: 



In the fall of 1894 I was obliged to provide my 

 bees with winter stores. I ordered a barrel of 

 honey from St. Louis, at 3)2 cts. When it came 

 to hand I found that it had been an extra-fine 

 article of fall honey, put into an old dirty 

 whisky-barrel which, at the time, must have 

 contained several pints of whisky mixed with 

 charred scales from the^ barrel. The same 

 honey, put up with proper care, Tmight have 

 easily sold in St. Louis for 6 or 7 cts. Note the 

 difference— 455 lbs. at 3i2C=$15.92.aThe same 

 quantity at 6c=l37.30— a difference of $11.38.-^ 



Centerville, Iowa. G. B. Replogle. 



HOW TO MAKE WAX FROM HONEY. 



The flavor of honey here is strong and rank. 

 Could you tell me of a plan to turn surplus 

 frames of honey into wax by feeding back in 

 the late fall? That is the only time I could 

 give the bees close attention. I have 25 colonies 

 in 10-frame hives. E. M. 



[We have had no experience along the line 

 you call for, and shall, therefore, be obliged if 

 some of our subscribers in the warmer coun- 

 tries where wax is the principal commercial 

 product from the hive will enlighten us. — Ed.] 



those that are, are small and clean. The drop- 

 pings that have fallen through the wire on 

 those below are dry and of a brown color. 

 Hadn't you noticed that bees that are winter- 

 ing nicely nearly always show this brown dust? 

 I am so much pleased with the plan that I will 

 leave all wire cloths under next winter. It is 

 the same as practically taking away the bot- 

 tom-boards for cellar wintering, except my 

 bees will be left in the house-apiary. 



F. A. Salisbury. 

 Syracuse, N. Y.. Feb. 29. 



BOTTOM VENTILATION FOR HOUSE- APIARIES. 



Last fall, when I packed the bees for winter 

 I thought I would leave on all the wire-cloth 

 screens under the hives in the house-apiary, 

 thinking that the bees would winter better; 

 but after more walking around the stairway I 

 concluded to try only one. That one has win- 

 tered so nicely that now I wish I had left all of 

 them on. This one colony is nice and dry, and 

 hardly any bees are to be found on the bottom; 



BEES AS FERTILIZERS. 



I have a nursery and market-garden and 

 small-fruit farm. I keep bees for the purpose 

 of fertilization. Of course, I could not give any 

 positive facts with regard to this matter; but 

 it is my impression that they are a benefit to 

 the production of small fruit. But I am posi- 

 tive that they do not injure fruit, as I have 

 watched them for years. We are troubled with 

 sparrows, which will destroy grapes and other 

 small fruit; and I have found that, after they 

 have been picked by birds, the bees will suck 

 the juice; and I have found sections partly 

 filled with berry-juice, but only at times when 

 there was a great scarcity of honey. As to the 

 effect on seeds, I have found frequently a cross- 

 fertilization, and of late years have always 

 bought my own seeds for fear of this cross-fer- 

 tilization. Daniel Noble. 



Clintonville, Wis., Feb. 20. 



BEADS FOR SPACERS. 



I see in Gleanings, page 57, that you and Dr. 

 Miller have been discussing nails as spacers for 

 brood-frames. Tell Dr. M. to get some beads 

 and put one on the nail before he drives it in. 

 He can get beads the right size. I have never 

 seen such a thing. If you and Dr. M. wish, 

 you can laugh at the old Scotchman who still 

 remains your well-wisher. David Dickie. 



Sparta, 111., Jan. 24. 



A'NEW HIVE suggested. 



Dr. Miller: — What possible objection could 

 be raised against a hive 14x17^^x11^ inside, and 

 frame inside 10x15)^, ^i' top-bar? T-tin supers 

 of l]4xi}4xiU will fit exactly. This will give 

 the much-lauded compactness of brood-cham- 

 ber for breeding and wintering, to my notion; 

 capacity, .3000 square inches. 



Carthage, O., Jan. 22. Joseph Meyer. 



[Dr. Miller replies:] 



A possible (and I think real) objection is that 

 it would be adding a hive of new dimensions, 

 thus working against the idea of trying to hold 

 to as few kinds as possible. Being of an odd 

 pattern would make it a little more expensive. 

 Other objections would vary according to the 

 views of the objector. Those who like an eight- 

 frame hive or smaller would call it too large, 

 for it is nearly equivalent in size to an 11-frame 



