.S'Kl'TKMi'i:i!, 1918 (i I. K A X T N O S IN B K K C U L T U 1; K 



ffi) FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



lioiicv at IJ.") cents aiul li()|u> to get tlip bocs 

 thru on sugar at H) ct'iits. No doubt many 

 will not be able to coiiiply with the card put 

 out by the Food AdTuiuistratiou, and will 

 find it impossible to secure any sugar. Do 

 not rely upon tlio Food Administration to 

 save your bees after you have taken too 

 much of their stores from thorn. 



In many locations bees will go thru the 

 winter and si)ring in better condition, if 

 they can be given protection from the i)re- 

 vailing cold winds. In one successful yard 

 in the southern j^art of the State, a tight 

 board fence serves as the only protection 

 necessary. In another locality the colonies 

 are brought close together, and a few spade- 

 fuls of dirt are thrown around the base of 

 the hive. Not much ])rotection is needed, 

 but it can not be neglected entirely. The 

 piactice must vary in the different sections 

 of the State, but the thing needed for your 

 locality should be considered and put into 

 practice this year. If every beekeeper will 

 give the wintering problem due considera- 

 tion, there will be more and better bees 

 with which to start next year. It is a double 

 duty this year to winter bees successfully. 



The meeting of the Texas Honey Produc- 

 ers' Association held at College Station on 

 July 29-30 in connection with the Texas 

 Farmers' Congress, was without doubt the 

 best meeting had by the beekeepers in many 

 years. Those who attended last year will 

 appreciate what is meant by that statement, 

 for the meeting last year held the record. 

 The sessions had an average attendance of 

 50. The best of most of the societies hold 

 their meetings at the Congress. The attend- 

 ance came from all parts of the State, from 

 the lower Rio Grande to the Red River. 

 Many new faces were there, which speaks 

 well for the interest created by the pro- 

 gram. Much discussion was' evoked by the 

 excellent jiapers presented on many timely 

 topics. The program will be discussed for a 

 long time by those who attended. Plans 

 are already under way to make the meeting 

 next vear even better than this one. 



College Station, Tex. F. B. Paddock. 



In Florida— ^'^ ^Jlf June issue I brought 

 up the subject ot the ex- 

 ])ei'ienced beeman helping the beginner with 

 advice and supplies. My meaning has, 

 unfortunately, been misunderstood in some 

 quarters. In fact, a considerable kick lias 

 come from some long-established beekee])- 

 ers, whilst some would-be beginners have 

 come to the conclusion that I am running a 

 be^^-supply department on the gratuitous 

 plan. Like Dr. Miller, I nuiy be a "dispu- 

 tatious sunofagon,'' for T will not retract 

 what I wrote in .June, but will try to add a 

 few amendments to meet the varied tastes 

 of my correspondents. One iiuni, with 12 

 to 20 colonies, monopolizes a good location. 



but knows Motliing about bees and will learn 

 nothing, dei)ending on the other beekeepers 

 to do his extracting and make provision for 

 iiis increase. He will not sell out nor let 

 his bees be worked on shares. The sooner 

 such "bee-owners" are out of the business 

 the better I shall be pleased. Also, I have 

 no symjtathy for the man who wishes to 

 keep bees in boxes or hives of any descrij)- 

 tion aud will not use full sheets of founda- 

 tion everywhere, and i>revent the nuisance 

 of maintaining a drone factory near Iiis 

 neighbor's (pieen-mating yard. It is the one 

 who is willing to i)ut eight or ten dollars in- 

 to a modern hive, and himself study and 

 work with bees that I am willing to hel]i. 



Last month I spoke of there being a fine 

 prospect for cabbage })almetto in this lo- 

 cality, and, altho the bloom has materialized 

 and may have yielded well where nothing 

 else was available, there will be no cabbage- 

 lialmetto honey produced. Altho we have 

 made a fine crop whilst the cabbage palmet- 

 toes were in bloom, it is a crop of high-bush 

 partridge pea honey. No doubt many pro- 

 ducers will market their crops as palmetto, 

 because they have not observed closely 

 enough, and this unintentional deception 

 will pass with the buyers because partridge 

 l)ea honey has been branded by Prof. E. G. 

 Baldwin of DeLand, in his articles to Glean- 

 ings, as "always dark red in color and 

 dark brown in taste." This libel on a light 

 honey of good quality has stuck with some 

 of the buyers (please note, Mr. Selser), and 

 they are offering 16 to 18 cents for it. A 

 sample of what I know to be pure high- 

 bush partridge pea honey is in the otKce of 

 Gleanings, and I leave it to the Editor to 

 correct the false impression that is current 

 to the detriment of one of Florida's impor- 

 tant honey plants. It is possible that Prof. 

 Baldwin had in mind the low-bush variety 

 of cassia which yields in September. At 

 that season very many othei' sources of nee-, 

 tar are available, antl the resulting mixture 

 is of various colors and flavors, according 

 to the particular locality iii which it is {)ro- 

 duced. [The sample of honey referred to 

 can't be located, but we are ready to accept 

 your statement as to the excellence of high- 

 bush partridge pea honey. — Editor.] 



Florida beekeepers certainly have the ad- 

 vantage over their brethren of more north- 

 ern States in that wliilst they are now 

 studying their wintering- problems, we are 

 preparing for anotlier honey flow. A few 

 words will cover the wintering proposition 

 for Florida — leave at least 4(1 lbs. of honey 

 and contract the entrances. 



Cotton, as a honey ])lant for this part of 

 Florida, has ])roved itself to be of no im- 

 |)ortance. It may be that this year the par- 

 tridge pea has yielded so lieavily that the 

 bees have preferred to go three miles to it 

 rather than work the cotton close to the api- 

 aries. Ifarrv Hewitt. 



