JrNK, 1918 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



361 



HEADS OF GRAIN TDPolffl DIFFERENT FIELDS 



another gain of HO pounds, which makes a 

 total gain of 400 pounds for the season. 

 They were given sufficient winter stores and 

 good winter protection and plenty of room 

 at the right time. That is all the credit I 

 can claim. Last season was an exceptionally 

 good one, and only one of the nine colonies 

 swarmed. I obtained 1,530 pounds of ex- 

 tracted honey from nine colonies, spring 

 count. Three of the colonies were weak, the 

 weakest producing about 45 pounds. The 

 scale hive was about 125 pounds ahead of 

 any other colony in the yard. Our main 

 honey flow caine from white clover, altho we 

 also had some alsike and a little basswood. 

 Bellevue, la. Joseph M. Niemann. 



A Roof Apiary ill From this picture you 



California. may infer that I am a 



roof buzzer. My bees 

 gather pollen in abundance all winter, and 

 it is very seldom that they do not carry in a 

 little honey. There is one thing that must 

 be guarded against, and that is mildew. 



A Roof Apiary in California. 



After the rain the weather is very warm 

 and sultry, and it requires a great deal of 

 care to keep the hives well ventilated and 

 dry. The bees are now well up in their su- 

 pers, and by the first of April will begin the 

 swarming season. This would be an ideal 

 bee location in regard to climate, but there 

 is a great scarcity of honey-producing plants. 

 The willow and bluegum are now in bloom; 

 in April the fruit trees put forth their blos- 

 soms; but the greater surplus comes from the 

 locust in May and June. I have done my 

 best to encourage in my neighborhood the 

 growing of sunflowers, which yield a surplus 

 in July and August. Altho the honey from 

 them is very dark amber in color, it certain- 

 ly has a remarkably fine flavor. 



Santa Cruz, Cal. A. Higgins. 



:«. 



,«(= 



Use of the Heavy The one-ton and two 



Auto TiTick. t;on auto truck will 



douVjtless becon'e nec- 

 essary in Ihe progressive beekeeper's equip- 

 ment. There are several reasons for this. 

 Beekeeping operations will gradually be 



taken over by those who manage from 500 

 to 1,000 colonies. With an outfit of this size 

 it is often necessary to make quick moves 

 of large numbers of colonies. With a two- 

 ton truck, 200 to ,300 colonies can be moved 

 10 or 15 miles in 24 hours. Supers can quick- 

 ly be moved, and a complete extracting- 

 house can be placed on the body, if it is not 

 found feasible to haul the honey in the 

 combs to the home extracting-house. With 

 a heavy truck and a light car, all the work 

 for a large crop from 1,000 colonies can be 

 handled. The distance that the truck need 

 travel in one year is small, but it will pay 

 for itself in having it ready for the rush 

 hauling when it comes. Wesley Foster. 



Boulder, Col. 



[The plan here outlined would be all right 

 where one is carrying on beekeeping in a 

 large way such as Mr. Foster is doing with 

 his 1,300 colonies; but as a general proposi- 

 tion, a light small machine is better — one 

 that can make frequent and quick trips and 

 which will carry a limited amount of stutt 

 at a time. A heavy machine, however, is 

 expensive to operate, both from the stand- 

 point of first cost and its slowness in making 

 trips; and unless one has a large load to car- 

 ry, it is very uneconomical. A little, light 

 Ford machine, capable of carrying 600 or 

 700 pounds, is much more serviceable for the 

 average beeman in the average locality. 

 Where heavy work is to be done, one can 

 hire a two-ton truck for a particular occa- 

 sion, then afterward do practically all the 

 other work with a light machine. If. when 

 going to and from an out-yard, one always 

 carries something needed then or later, he 

 can transport many tons of stuff during the 

 entire season. — Editor.] 



=10^05= 



Brood-Combs Built 

 Clear to the Bottom. 



By using a bottom- 

 starter, George F. 

 Webster of Sioux Falls, 

 So. Dak., obtains brood combs that are built 

 clear to the bottom-bar. For these starters 



Brood-comb built clear to the bottom-bar, obtained 

 by using a bottom-starter. 



he prefers the medium brood foundation cut 

 in strips % to % inch wide. The bottom- 

 starter is centented in place with wax. 



