April, 1918 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



223 



black colonies averaged 68 pounds.) Mr. 

 Weavil has now 11 colonies of Italians in 

 10-frame hives. These results were attained 

 only by intense application." These letters 

 of Mr. Anderson 's are certainly to the point, 

 concise, instructive, explicit, giving definite 

 directions for work to be done at certain 

 times. His directions for wintering must h ive 

 helped many a beginner to carry his bees thru 

 in good shape. Here is an extract from his 

 circular of Feb. 25, 1918: "Your honey crop 

 for 1918 depends on how your bees are han- 

 dled during March and April. Each patriotic 

 beeman will strive to produce the maximum 

 crop. The three main features controlling 

 your crop of honey are: (1) a Cjueen in every 

 colony; if any colony in your yard has no 

 brood' by March 10, give it a frame having 

 eggs from your best queen; (2) at thesametime 

 see that each colony has 16 lbs. of honey or 

 syrup; (3) see that each colony has plenty of 

 room for surplus honey and for the queen to 

 lay, before swarming time; have prepared 

 by April 15 two or three supers for each colo- 

 "j • * » * 



A visit with Mr. Kenneth Hawkins, coming 

 back from one of his long trips thru the 

 South, is always an inspiration. Last month 

 he stopped a few hours in Nashville, on his 

 way north from a trip thru the Gulf States. 

 He reported a discouraging amount of foul 

 brood in Florida; but also told of enthus- 

 iastic meetings all along his line, waked-up 

 county agents, the formation of a goodly 

 number of girls' bee clubs, and constant in- 

 struction, followed by the gradual adoption 

 of improved methods. Progress comes that 

 way. ^ ^ ^ 



E. G. Kinney, a farmer near Fostoria, 

 Michigan, is enthusiastic about bees as a 

 side line. He has eighty acres right on the 

 state road, only three miles from a good 

 market town. ' ' Farming, ' ' writes Mr. Kin- 

 ney, " pays me well; but there have been 



swarming. A 300-acre swamp within half a 

 mile yields a succession of varied bloom that 

 helps materially in brood-rearing and support- 

 ing the bees. Mr. Kinney's largest record was 



R. G. Kinney, Fostoria, Michigan, is a successful 

 farmer beekeeper. 



some vears when my bees have paid me still 

 better." Isn't that fine? 



His apiary consists of 100 to 125 colonies, 

 golden and three-band Italians. Having both 

 eight and ten-frame hives, he finds he prefers 

 the eight frames. Bees are worked entirely 

 for comb honey; and when clover, the main 

 flow, comes on, the hives are crowded with 

 bees. They build up early, get into supers 

 promptly, and give very little trouble by 



Mr. Kinney lias 125 colonies of golden and three- 

 banded Italians. 



in 1912 — 288 pounds of fancy comb honey 

 from one colony. Winter losses run about 

 2 or 3 per cent. Twenty-five colonies are in 

 chaff hives. These are wintered outside, and 

 the others in a cellar where a temperature of 

 45 degrees is maintained. 



* « * 



As soon as the last issue of Gleanings ar- 

 rived in this neighborhood, one Mrs. Dixie- 

 Beekeeper called me on the telephone to 

 protest against the statement in my depart- 

 ment for last month that the so-called honey 

 locust (Gleditschia Triacanthus) yields no 

 nectar for the honey bee. They have, or 

 know, a honey locust, she says, that fairly hums 

 with bees while in bloom. Then, what was 

 worse, this disconcerting lady actually turn- 

 ed ABC on me, and there it was — honey lo- 

 cust is "one of the best honey-yielding trees 

 in the United States." Now what shall I 

 say next? And black locust not even men- 

 tioned — that is, in the main text (edition 

 1910). Dr. Phillips also lists honey locust as 

 a source of nectar, but adds * ' much less im- 

 portant than black locust." 



* * * 



MY WISH IN SPRINGTIME. 

 I think that I would go quite mad 



If day by tragic day 

 My every hour were crushed and sad 

 And there was no joy to be had 



In any way. 



The dread things that I read each morn, 



They strike me to the heart 

 With dark dismay, or grief, or scorn. 

 Sometimes it seems each day is born 



To add its part 



To what has been so grimly told 



Thru three long years, 

 While human hearts have grown so old. 

 So hurt and haunted, and too cold 



For even tears. 



But, God be thanked, once more the spring 



Has brought us bees to hum ; 

 And with the flashing of each wing 

 Within my heart shall something sing 



That has lain dumb. 



I wish the people all were wise 



And lived among the bees. 

 And wars were done, and bitter cries 

 Were silenced under gentle skies 



And cherry trees. 



