1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



893 



[A number of years ago one of our neighbors, 

 Mr. Harrington, an expert queen-breeder, took 

 a pound of bees In late August, and by giving 

 them untested queens, and feeding them, he 

 had them increased up to five fairly good colo- 

 nies for winter by Nov. 1. This shows what 

 can be done in the way of increase. Your re- 

 sults, both in increase and honey, are perhaps 

 as good, or even better.— Ed.] 



OHIO PURE -FOOD LAWS. 



Mr. Root:—l notice in the report of the N. A. 

 B. convention, i)ageT24. American Bee Journal, 

 that Dr. Mason, in talking about our pure-food 

 laws, says: " Dealers don't dare to offer any 

 thing that they mistrust is adulterated." Now, 

 Is not Dr. M. away off in this statement? and 

 is not the dealer safe in offering any mixed or 

 adulterated goods if there is a formula printed 

 on the package '? Certainly the grocers in my 

 part of the State offer glucose mixtures freely, 

 and no one questions their right to do so, the 

 same as oleo, prepared mustard, etc., as long as 

 the printed formula is on the package. I sup- 

 posed the object of the law was not to prevent 

 adulterations, but to make the adulterators 

 sell their stuff for what it is. 



Oberlln, O., Nov. 19. Chalon Fowls. 



[Although the report referred to may not show 

 it. Dr. Mason implied in his talk that the sam- 

 ples were not labeled in a way that would show 

 a certain percentage of glucose. Taking the 

 quotation that you refer to. notice he says that 

 " dealers do not care to offer any thing that 

 they mistrust," etc. You will see there could 

 be no mistrust if there were a formula some- 

 where on the package.— Ed.] 



I should never think, myself, when wiring is so 

 inexpensive, of getting along without it. 



3. Yes. 



4. Better buy your foundation in Canada. E. 

 L. Goold & Co., of Brantford, are prepared to 

 turn out the new-process foundation. It is 

 usually not profitable to pay duty when the 

 same article, or practically so, can be bought 

 at the same figure without the duty added. It 

 pays to use full sheets of foundation rather than 

 starters. Mr. Chalon Fowls, of Oberlin, O., 

 once said to me that he could not afford to buy 

 hives, but he could afford to buy brood-frames 

 and foundation— full sheets at that.— Ed.] 



BEAR-HUNTING IN ARKANSAS. 



Mr. Root:—l have shipped to you by express 

 a two-year-old bear-foot, and hope you will 

 tack it up in your workshop that the young 

 boys and girls may see what Arkansas grows. 

 Myself and party have hunted 20 days, and 

 killed 18 bears and other game too numerous to 

 mention. I should have been pleased to have 

 you with us, and think the meat diet would 

 have been all you could ask for. 

 L_ My honey was a failure, the; first time ini;25 

 years. Bees are in fine condition now. with 

 plenty of stores for winter.:: ^; Anthony Opp.h 

 L Helena, Ark., Nov. 27. 



[The foot came to hand in due time and in 

 good order, and a fearful-lookine thing it is. 

 Let the readers of Gleanings imagine a cat's 

 paw with claws extended as big as or bigger 

 than the foot of an ox, and they will have a fair 

 idea of the thing. — A. I. R.] 



answers to questions; old versus new 

 combs; wiring; natural built combs 

 OR foundation. 

 1. 1 know a good deal about bees and a great 

 deal I don't know. Please answer the follow- 

 ing questions: Will old combs that have been 

 used for brood be as good as new comb, to be 

 used to fill for extracting, or will the honey be 

 darker in the old comb? 2. Are new combs 

 built by the bees without wiring sufficiently 

 strong to be used in the extractor without 

 breaking? Is a two- comb extractor sufficiently 

 large for 40 hives, spring count? 4. Would you 

 consider it profitable for me to buy foundation 

 and pay freight and duty, and fill the frames 

 full for both extracting and brood, or let the 

 bees do all of the building, with the exception 

 of narrow starters ? Which do you consider the 

 more profitable— whole frames or half-frames 

 to be used in the top for extracting? 

 Steveston, B. C, Nov. 14. M. Steves. 



[1. It is generally considered that the honey 

 from old combs is liable to take on more or less 

 of a darker shade than when extracted from 

 new combs. To get, then, a really first quality 

 of extracted, it is better to use combs not too old. 



2. Y"es and No. Some bee-keepers do get 

 along without wiring the frames, and claim 

 that it is not necessary; but the majority insist 

 that they can work faster, because there is 

 no danger of breaking out combs when wired. 



A pointer for the 8- fr ame si z e o f hive. 



Back in the 70's I wrote you for a 10- frame 

 Simplicity hive. I had previously been pre- 

 sented with a copy of Quinby, and used the hive 

 he recommended, but found it too large for this 

 locality. After using the 10-frame Simplicity 

 for three seasons I cut it down to 8 frames, and 

 have not since regretted the change, although 

 I am some seasons troubled a great deal with 

 incessant and uncontrollable swarming, as I run 

 only for comb honey in 1-lb. sections. 



Gushing, Ala., Oct. 12. Rob't F. Coles. 



[This has been the experience of many an- 

 other; and yet there is quite a large following, 

 who, after having experimented, tliink just the 

 other way. The result seems to vary with the 

 person and the locality.— Ed.] 



.'iOOO LBS. OF honey from 130 COLONIES, WITH 

 AN INCREASE OF 45. 



I have harvested this year, from 130 colonies, 

 about 5000 lbs. of honey, mostly comb. About 

 4000 lbs. are clover, basswood, and some earlier 

 make, and about 1000 lbs. is from buckwheat. 

 I increased to about 175 colonies. Swarming 

 was excessive. F. Greiner. 



Naples, N. Y., Oct. 31. 



Is honey an animal or vegetable production? 



Bath, O., Nov. 9. A. S. Gundrum. 



[It is generally said to be an animal produc- 

 duction; but without any Question its sottrce is 

 vegetable. — Ed.] 



