October, 1918 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



over many who "rob" their bees. It is 

 astonishing how many pounds of inferior 

 honey are offered to the consuming public. 

 It is to be hoped that in the near future 

 every beekeeper that sells honey will have 

 enough self-pride, if not even pride m the 

 industry, to put only first-class packages of 

 honey on the market. 



No bockeoper can afford to overlook any 

 steps in the plan for successful wintering of 

 every colony of bees. Added attention will 

 be repaid as much with bees as with any 

 other form of live stock. Stores will be the 

 deciding factor this year. The Food Admin- 

 istration has rightfully set about to adjusts 

 the amount of sugar for feeding bees. Fur- 

 thermore, there has recently appeared much 

 good argument in the leading papers, show- 

 ing that no artificial feed can entirely re- 

 place honey. F. B. Paddock. 



College Station, Tex. 

 * * * 



In Florida This is the first year that 

 Florida beekeepers have 

 considered the question of wintering the 

 bees on sugar stores. With honey selling at 

 four to six cents a pound there was no in- 

 ducement for us to sell our fall crop and 

 replace with sugar; but now, with honey at 

 20 cents and more, there is a big profit to be 

 made — if it is practicable. According to re- 

 ports received, the Food Administration will 

 allow us to obtain the sugar; but whether 

 we should avail ourselves of the privilege 

 is another (luestion. wliicli must be decided 



by the individual beekeeper. If honey is of 

 more value to tlic Government than sugar, 

 our duty is clear, and we should take the 

 $3.00 per colony additional profit which the 

 feeding of sugar would give. Undoubtedly 

 our bees would winter well on -sugar syrup; 

 but they will do that in this climate on even 

 the poorest grade of fall honey and in view 

 of the sugar shortage Florida becmen should 

 consider not only the money value but the 

 economic value of their honey. We have all 

 made bountiful crops this year and received 

 extraordinary prices on extremely advan- 

 tageous terms, and we can well afford to ig- 

 nore the extra profit that the Food Admin- 

 istration allows us, and winter our bees on 

 honey as heretofore. There is another con- 

 sideration that must not be lost sight of. 

 If we feed sugar, we must do it so sparing- 

 ly that none will be left over in the brood 

 combs to be carried up and mixed with our 

 orange honey, to cause trouble with the Pure 

 Food Law. This will be extremely difiicult, 

 as the orange flow comes so early that more 

 or less of the winter stores are always car- 

 ried into the extracting supers. I am tak- 

 ing up this feeding proposition with the 

 Food Administration, with special reference 

 to Florida, and hope to have some authorita- 

 tive information by next month. 



Very few crop reports have arrived, but 

 there has been a very heavy yield from 

 partridge pea, and the prospects for a fall 

 crop are excellent. Harry Hewitt. 



Apopka, Fla. 



Chauocy Shinklo of "Williamstown, Ky., is a patriot right. He sends the picture printed ahove, and says 

 that the old family horse, the Ford runabout and the tees are all doing their utmost at home to help feed 

 this nation and its allies, and he himself is soon to be on his way to France and that he goes gladly. He 

 closes his letter to Gleanings by saying: " Good bye to the friends I have met thru Gleanings. I will soon 

 be ' over there.' When the ^v;u• is over I will be home again and working with my bees." 



