022 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



October, 1918 



about a month was from sage, yielding the 

 only surplus. ' ' — F. P. Heston, Santa Bar- 

 bara County, Calif. 



"Many of the eastern confectioners, find- 

 ing that they can not get sugar for their 

 jiroducts, are sending to Arizona for strain- 

 ed honey. Alfalfa bloom and flowers now 

 furnish much of the sweet substance for 

 honey production. ' ' — Los Angeles Times, 

 Aug. 27, 1918. 



"Gleanings is very refreshing in its 'Our 

 Homes' Department; its anti-tobacco cogita- 

 tions, etc. Would be glad if you would tell 

 the venerable Dr. Miller, if you get a 

 chance, that I am frequently on the brink 

 of breaking the commandment as per Ex- 

 odus 20:5, 'Thou shalt not bow down thyself 

 to them, ' etc. There is the remembrance of 

 another Scripture passage which says, ' The 

 hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be 

 found in the way of righteousness. ' ' ' — W. 

 E. Welch, Union County, S. D. 



' ' It has been about the worst honey sea- 

 son here I can remember — less than one- 

 tenth of a crop. Last week I was called to 

 Madison by the Sugar Board which was re- 

 ceiving a mass of letters from all over the 

 State, telling of bees starving, no honey, and 

 that the beekeepers must have sugar to feed. 

 Because of sugar restrictions, many wanted 

 sugar under excuse to feed bees, and some 

 that they might extract honey and feed 

 sugar. ' ' — H. H. Moe, Lafayette County, 

 Wis. 



"In our outyard district of clover bloom, 

 colonies have made fairly good averages of 

 both extracted and comb crops. Our home 

 markets do not use honey as in former years 

 owing to advance in prices, but it is up to 

 us to dispose of our surplus in the open 

 market, thus helping do our part in supply- 

 ing the nation 's need for sweets. My three 

 sons and other's sons are doing their part 

 (at the front) and we who are standing 

 back of our boys can do something toward 

 supplying the needs of war. ' ' — Chas. L. 

 Hill, Atlantic County, N. J. 



' ' Sweet clover is coming into its own in 

 this locality for pasture. A 1.3-acre field 

 of sweet-clover pasture, on which I moved 

 my bees July 20, yielded over 40 pounds to 

 each colony since that late day. The cows 

 on this pasture have had nothing else to 

 eat than what they got in this sweet-clover 

 pastui-e and were thin when turned into it 

 in the spring. They are now fat enough for 

 the butcher 's block, are giving a fine flow 

 of milk as they have done all summer, and 

 give the finest sweet butter and finest 

 flavored milk." — M. L. Brewer, St. Joseph 

 Coimty, Mich. 



"I have been having trouble with June 

 bugs. These bugs are fond of sweets, their 

 favorites being jfigs and watermelon rinds; 

 but since this food is about out of season 

 they have gone to bee robbing. The fronts 

 of my hives were covered with these pests, 



and there were just as many inside of the 

 hives. The bees put up a stiff fight, but on 

 account of the hard shells of the bugs the 

 bees could not do anything with them. I 

 have placed wire entrance guards on the 

 hives, and the bugs being much larger than 

 the bees can not pass but cluster on the out- 

 side ' ' — A. L. Christiansen, Chatham Countv, 

 Ga. 



' ' It has been a poor year for beekeepers 

 over here. In June we did not get any rain 

 and the vegetation dried up, and since the 

 rain came it has been cold and windy every 

 day. I believe I am the only person in this 

 country that uses Langstroth frames and 

 Root hives. I believe we are not far behind 

 the United States in high prices. A hive 

 with bees has cost $.30.00 this year. When 

 it comes to windmill electricity we have 

 many such windmills in Denmark, and last 

 winter we wished that we had more, as our 

 government allowed each family only one 

 liter of petroleum per month. When it comes 

 to beekeeping we Danes are far behind the 

 Americans. ' ' — Louis Jensen, Hjelmerup, 

 I'angel, Denmark, July 14, 1918. 



' ' The kind, genial beekeeper host at a 

 jncnic I recently attended, is selling his 

 honey by a reversed retail-wholesale system 

 of price . He sells nice light extracted hon- 

 ey for five cents less at retail than he ob- 

 tains net at wholesale. Only 20 cents per 

 pound by the quart or gallon, but 25 cents 

 per pound F. O. B. by the hundred pounds. 

 How does he explain it? 'Oh,' says the 

 generously considerate man, ' the people 

 would not ijay 25 or 30 cents a pound for ex- 

 tracted honey, and I want to keep my home 

 honey trade. ' Yet this beekeper would say 

 he is not keeping bees as a jdiilanthropy. 

 Moreover, there are other beekeepers in the 

 same town who labor under the idea that 

 to charge market price for sweet goods is 

 fair business and no offense to society. ' ' — 

 Clark W. Wilson, Madison County, N. Y. 



A SOLILOQUY 



(By au old bee lover, while watching his bees.) 



While the summea-'s sun is shining, 



We prepare our winter supply, 

 And if you take too much from us, 

 When winter comes we'll die. 



.Just let us pass the winter 



As we are put away. 

 Then you can have the " super " 



About the first of May. 



Tlie super is the top of our little store: 



Just empty and return it, 

 And we will make you more. 



Give us good foundation 

 And we will build it straight: 



Then your conscience wont rumple, 

 When our honey is on your plate. 



There are none of us that are carpenters. 



We can neither saw nor nail, 



But all of you may some day learn 



We have stingers in our tails. 



— P. L. SHARP, 

 Chief of Police, Biltmore, N. C. 



