416 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 1. 



The Eailey super, p. 385, is not new. Mr. 

 Funk sent me a super of that kind years ago. 

 Nice when it works just right, but I think it 

 doesn't continue to work all right. Shrinkage, 

 you know. Nice to empty, but "Ed." is wrong 

 in thinking it can be filled more easily than T 

 super; also in thinking that sections would be 

 brought nearer the brood-nest. 



Collecting bad debts turns out to be another 

 of your specialties, friend A. I., p. 397. I wish 

 you'd try your hand on the only bee-keeper 

 that ever tried to defraud me. I'll give you 120 

 per cent commission. I sent him a book on 

 faith several years ago, and can't get a word of 

 reply. He's not dead, for a communication 

 signed by him appears in last Gleanings. 



You MAY remember I had a patch of crimson 

 clover sowed May, 1895. It bloomed last sum- 

 mer, but was still green when winter came. 

 This spring it seemed about all gone; but now, 

 May 16, there's quite a lot, perhaps a tenth of a 

 stand, and bees are busy on the blossoms. And 

 Isn't it beautiful! [There is certainly no pret- 

 tier sight on a farm than a field of this clover. 

 —Ed.] 



Skylark, dear Skylark, what does ail you? 

 Have you and Doolittle both gone daft? Be- 

 cause I said in A. B. J., p. 211, that a heavy 

 shipment of California honey north made com- 

 petition, you seem to understand that I object to 

 tne competition. Why, bless your heart, I 

 never thought of objecting. You've as good a 

 right in Chicago as I. Please correct right 

 away before some one else jumps on me. 



It's kind of friend Porter to tell you the 

 faults he finds in Gleanings; but, pray, what 

 possible good can several pages of such criti- 

 cism do us readers? Keep 'em to yourself, 

 hereafter, and don't print any in the number 

 you send me. [It is because I should like to 

 know what others think about it. If our read- 

 ers don't want such criticisms, let them speak 

 out and I'll keep 'em to myself hereafter. — Ed.] 



I WISH some one opposed to amalgamation 

 would give a synopsis of the objections — not 

 groundless objections, but those that have at 

 least a little ground to rest on. Number 'em 

 too. please, so's to save trouble of counting. 

 [The majority are opposed to having an inter- 

 national organization. The quickest and most 

 feasible way is to leave out of account the 

 North American, and make the Union what 

 you and the rest of us want it to be.— Ed.] 



J. B. Kellen, editor Luxemburg Blenen- 

 zeituncj, discusses the proper place for the fly- 

 hole, or entrance, to a hive. In this country 

 it's almost universally at the bottom of the 

 hive. In Germany it is at the bottom in some 

 localities, in others at top, and in others at the 

 middle. Herr Kellen thinks the middle point 

 is best for the health of the bees. I'm quite in- 

 clined to favor a small hole at, the middle in 



addition to the bottom entrance. [Mr. Hofif- 

 man, of Hoflfman-frame fame, a German, favors 

 two entrances — one at the bottom and one part 

 way up. When I visited him the bees used 

 both entrances very freely. — Ed.l 



an "infallible" way to sell honey. 



I have read of many ways to sell honey in 

 the home market, but none of them satisfies 

 me. In the first place, we have no home mar- 

 ket. There are fifty bee-keepers— yes, a hun- 

 dred — for every city and town in California. 

 Then many workingmen who live on the out- 

 skirts of the towns keep a few colonies and sell 

 the surplus to their neighbors. But, worst of 

 all, many gentlemen keep a few bees at their 

 country residences, to supply their families 

 with honey. This last is an outrage, and 

 should be stopped by the Union. What busi- 

 ness has a gentleman with bees, anyhow ? So 

 we have been compelled to sell to dealers, and 

 take what we could get. I took a ton of honey 

 to San Diego, and, failing to get a fair offer 

 from the dealers, I drove around to a fine large 

 retail store and went in. I stood listlessly look- 

 ing about, as if I wanted nothing and cared for 

 nothing in all the world, only to be let alone. 

 Soon a man stepped up to me. 



"How do you do, sir? What can we do for 

 you ? " 



"You can do nothing for me, but you can do 

 something for yourself if you so wish. I have 

 a fine article of comb honey for sale." 



"Well, I just promised Thompson to look at 

 a lot he has just above, near the corner." 



I walked out and stood on the tow-path until 

 he returned, nail-puller in hand. 



When he opened the first case he started up 

 and shouted, " Thompson! Come here!" to the 

 owner of the other honey. " Look here, Thomp- 

 son; here is honey !^^ 



"Where do you make this honey?" asked 

 Mr. Thompson. 



I looked at him rather contemptuously, and 

 asked, " Are you a bee-keeper? Do you make 

 your honey? Bees gather mine from the flow- 

 ers." 



"Well, Thompson," laughed the storekeeper, 

 " if you do, you have made a bad job of it this 

 year. But the gentleman will gratify you by 

 giving his name and where he, M , gather- 

 ed his honey." 



" My name is Skylark — the great and renown 

 ed Skylark, known and beloved wherever the 

 music of the bee breaks the morning silence or 

 floats on the evening air. My name is Skylark, 

 of Gleanings in Bee Culture." 



