1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



403 



vegetables; and as mature beetles, both feed on 

 ripe fruit like apples, peaches, and on soft green 

 corn. This gives a pretty decided hint as to the 

 attraction which the bee-hive has for this Southern 

 species. I think that, without doubt, they have 

 sampled Dr. Hunt's honey, and, finding it quite to 

 their taste, they help themselves as inclination 

 prompts. I hope Dr. Hunt and others will examine 

 closely and see if this is not so. If it is a fruitless 

 search in the hives, try some in a box with a glass 

 cover, in which a small piece of hcmey in comb is 

 placed, or some candied honey, and see if they do 

 not prove my conjecture true. Our E. inda Hies 

 much like a bumble-bpe, and is easily mistaken, 

 when on the wing, for one. I am very glad to re- 

 ceive insects from Dr. H. and others. 



A. J. Cook. 

 Agricultural College, Mich., May 10. 



Friend Cook, I am very glad to have you 

 take this matter up. At different conven- 

 tions it has been urged that the course you 

 propose would certainly result in tempting 

 people to tell lies. Now, there may be 

 something in that ; but, notwithstanding, I 

 would have it exactly as you say. It has 

 often been urged that our rules in regard to 

 the use of tobacco in our establishment and 

 on our grounds would result in inducing 

 boys to become hypocrites. Perhaps it does 

 now and then ; but I think the good the 

 rules do, far overbalances this occasional 

 evil. I feel satisfied that the original pur- 

 pose of county fairs was to encourage im- 

 proved farming, and improvements in all 

 rural industries. If the exhibitor does not 

 bring the product of his own handiwork, 

 what does it amount to V In our neighbor- 

 hood it is quite fashionable for boys to bor- 

 row choice specimens of poultry from those 

 who have not time to make the exhibits and 

 carry off the premiums. It is surely all 

 wrong. Let the judges make careful inqui- 

 ry, and ascertain whether the exhibitors are 

 residents of the county, and whether they 

 are men of character. A little inquiry will 

 easily determine. Then this fashion of go- 

 ing about from fair to fair, and getting a 

 premium on the same article, will be done 

 away with. Of course, I allude to rural 

 products. Those who wish to advertise 

 goods they have for sale, are, of course, 

 privileged to get said goods in any way they 

 choose ; but in competing for premiums on 

 the products of the soil, it seems to me none 

 but the producer should have a premium. 



Your experience is like my own in regard 

 to samples of honey sent in, purporting to 

 be spurious. I think that, in every case, I 

 have pronounced them genuine. Those 

 who are looking out for fraud of this kind, 

 fail to consider that bees often gather natu- 

 ral honey of a very poor quality. 



BEES IN THE AXTELL APIARY. 



FEEDING SORGHUM IN OPEN-AIR FEEDERS. 



This afternoon I was out and worked six colonies 

 of bees through, clipping the queens' wings and 

 getting them in a conditidn that will need no more 

 work until we go through to build up into strong 

 colonies just before the honey harvest. It is al- 

 most too early to clip queens now; but I am weak, 

 and can't work long at a time, and I want to com- 



mence now, so as to do all that I can of it myself, 

 for several reasons. One is, I want the outdoor ex- 

 ercise and beestings, to build me up; and another 

 reason, if J do it it will leave that much more time 

 for Mr. Axtell to do something else that I can not 

 do. Again, I think I can do it just a little more 

 carefully than any one else. I believe many colo- 

 nies are injured by careless handling. Perhaps I 

 should not call it carelessness, but the lack of abili- 

 ty to do every little thing that needs to be done 

 with that exactness that contributes to the welfare 

 of the colony. And still another reason for want- 

 ing to work the hives myself is to see just how 

 much stores they have, and how much and often 

 we need to feed. 



Those hives we put out in the middle of February 

 because we could not keep so many in the cellar 

 cool enough, are, some of them, nearly out of hon- 

 ey, but they have large quantities of brood and 

 plenty of bees; while the remainder, carried out 

 the latter part of March, have honey to last a 

 month longer, and have less brood and fewer bees, 



FEEDING BLACK SORGHUM MOLASSES. 



We are feeding very black sorghum molasses 

 that is two or three years old, and soured a little, 

 and honey, half and half, melted together. Yester- 

 day we fed a pail of each, and four of water stirred 

 together — six pailf uls to 136 colonies. Before 

 night they had taken it all up. It should be just 

 thin enough so that the bees will fill themselves and 

 fly home without crawling off upon the grass to 

 clean themselves off first, which they will do if too 

 thick. We shall gradually take away the honey, 

 though I think they will not take such black molas- 

 ses without some honey or sugar. The better the 

 molasses, the less honey or sugar is needed to get 

 them to take it. If they won't take it at first, or if 

 we don't get in enough honey, we dilute some hon- 

 ey and sprinkle around over the feeders to start 

 them. Our feeders are the large water-tight boxes 

 we had to drain our extracted combs, in with thin 

 boards nailed together just two bee-spaces apart, 

 as floats in the boxes. 



I examined each colony carefully, as we never 

 fed such poor molasses before. It has been about 

 three weeks since we began lo feed. We fed once 

 or twice a week. The bees look very thrifty and 

 energetic, and the hives have all the brood they can 

 care for, and are very full of bees for this time of 

 year, with some drone brood. They have a little of 

 their own honey left in the hives yet, and are gath- 

 ering a little honey and pollen from the box-elders, 

 and perhaps from some other source. I would not 

 feed molasses, especially soured molasses, before 

 bees fly in the spring; but as soon as they do tiy 

 freely, after the middle of April I doubt whether 

 any sweet that we can get them to take, that is not 

 really poisonous, would hurt them. Of course, it 

 should not be fed while the supers are on, so that 

 any of it could be stored in the sections, nor so 

 much fed to the bees that they store and seal it up 

 in their combs, so that it would be left over for. 

 winter stores. 



From present appearance there will be but very 

 few weak colonies by swarming time. I think we 

 have never had bees to winter better; no colonies 

 that I yet know of have died or dwindled that had a 

 good queen in the fall. 



White clover lias wintered well, and is coming up 

 in abundance everywhere. If we get sulHcient 

 rain we may hope for a good crop; but a good crop 



