1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



607 



American, will be quite sufficient." (I speak of 

 these two associations because they are the 

 most extensive.) But stop and think a mo- 

 ment. There are thousands of bee-keepers who 

 never attend a convention, save their own local 

 gatherings; and then Nashville, being well lo- 

 cated, we could get a good working force from 

 every quarter. (Such an assembly could make 

 such demands as would be recognized by al- 

 most every Stale in the Union. We need laws 

 regulating, or, rather Stopping, the sale of 

 adulterated honey. We need laws protecting, 

 as far as possible, the honey-producing timbers 

 of our forests, besides many others. The dairy 

 industry is protected by the laws of our land; 

 and why not the honey industry receive the 

 same? Every deep thinking bee-keepi^r can 

 see what power demands of such an assembly 

 as I suggest would have; and if such be the 

 case, why not join in a national congress, and 

 lock arms from east to west and from north to 

 south, and have our say? Am I right or am I 

 wrong? It is one of the two; and if I am 

 right, I want to see every bee keeper on the 

 American continent rise and second the mo- 

 tion. 



I think I have said enough to open the sub- 

 ject for consideration. Now let us decide what 

 we shall do. If my suggestion is pleasing to 

 the bee-keepers of America, I may have some 

 more to say a little later on. 



Beeville, Ttx. J. O. Ghimsley. 



[I am quite in aci-ord with your idi-a. only it 

 strikes me ii wouli bo hotter to invite the Hee 

 keeper^' Union or the North American to hold 

 its iiexr meeting at N-ishville. The last Hee 

 keepers' Congress was almost a failure so far as 

 attendancti was cou erned. In all probability 

 the Hhh kei pors' Union will take up the work 

 of the old North American and of the Bee- 

 keepers' Consies-ies that have been held in the 

 past; and it doi'S s- em a^ if ihe new organiza- 

 tion, whatever it>-hall be, should be the one to 

 meet at Nishvill'. We are readv to receive 

 suggestions from our rea'iers. — Ed.] 



^•0 KAIN AND NO HONEY. 



Tf these everlastiug editors of bee-papers 

 don't stop this present state of things I shall 

 certainly be oblig. d to move to California, or 

 do something else that's wor^e. The reason I 

 want to go to California is this: Skylark lives 

 there, and misery loves company; and he is 

 mad. for he says so, and so am I. Well, why 

 shouldn't we be mad? Why, it is enough to 

 make anyone fairly h()vvl with rage to sit down 

 and read of bees fairly reveling in sweets; 

 glorious outlook; prospects for an immense 

 crop never better, etc., when the fact is that 

 neither Skylark in California nor myself down 

 here in York State have a hand in it at all. 

 Now, may be you editors think we don't know 

 our business; but just give us, what rain we 

 need, and see if we can't " whoop it up " as loud 

 as any of you; but while this dry weather 



lasts, and I remain in the East, just remember 

 that you all are in a dangerous position, for 

 you see we can just get in a cross fire on you 

 every time; so, beware, because we don't have 

 to spend much of our time this year, thus far at 

 least, in caring for the immense honey crop. 

 Why, if Skylark and I had to eat all of my 

 surplus ourselves it wouldn't be a big job— no, 

 not even if he didn't eat any, for I could do it 

 myself in a short time. But I have already 

 occupied too much space with this strain: now 

 for facts, which are stubborn things to deal 

 with at times. 



The bees came through the winter in extra 

 good condition. My own (123 colonies) came 

 out all in fine order. The weather was warm, 

 and brood-rearing progressed rapidly, so that, 

 by May 1, the hives were just boiling over with 

 bees; but we had no rain to speak of, and no 

 flow of honey to amount to any thing up to the 

 present time, which is just after basswood has 

 dried up. I never saw the blossoms more plen- 

 tiful on the trees, but too dry to yield any thing 

 scarcely. We still look forward to buckwheat 

 and goldenrod and other fall flowers, which in 

 reality are the main source from which we 

 obtain the greatest amount of our surplus here. 

 I do not think that we have had a rainfall of 

 one' inch in all since the snow went off; and to 

 say that the growing crops are suffering badly 

 is putting it very mildly indeed; and unless we 

 get the necessary amount of rain, of course the 

 season her.e will be a failure complete so far as 

 surplus is concerned. The hay in this vicinity 

 is less than half an average crop, while corn 

 and oats (the latter in particular) are doing 

 finely. Although such experiences are hard to 

 take, yet it has not all been loss, as I have had 

 a chance to experiment and do up a general 

 .stock of repairing, etc., which I otherwise 

 would not have had the time to do, as I produce 

 mostly comb honey; and, like other people's 

 bees, mine will swarm at times when honey is 

 coming in with a rush. T. I. Dugdale. 



West Gal way, N. Y., July 18. 



[The situation in our vicinity is just the op- 

 posite. The farmers have been complaining 

 hecause of the excess of rains. It rains and 

 it pours, and the ground has been so soaked 

 that harvesting has been done under difficul- 

 ties. If I am not much mistaken, all the drouth- 

 stricken localities since the date of your letter 

 have been blessed with plenty of rain.— Ed.] 



BUCKWUKAT— TWO CROPS IN A SEASON. 



Buckwheat does very well heie, and I will 

 sow more extensively if I can dispose of the 

 crop. I can raise two crops per year here, as I 

 find by trial for lwo years that early sown does 

 just as well as July sowing. I see no reason 

 why we may not begin to sow in early spring, 

 and continue to sow every month until July or 

 even August, for bee pasture. My early crop 

 filled nicely. J. S. Fowlek. 



Grand View, Tenn. 



