1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



569 



black bees. When I Italianized them I took six 

 iayingr queens out of three hives, and this spring I 

 took notice of one of my best queens failing before 

 & cell was started. I saw the young queen before 

 she commenced to lay; and the other day, when 1 

 looked to see whether she was all right, she and 

 her mother were laying on one frame, and on the 

 same side, and at times would walk past each other 

 not more than an inch or so apart. 

 Falrview, Md., July 7. C. M. Hicks. 



ANOTHER FERTILE QUEEN THAT CAME OUT OF 

 THE HIVE ALONE. 



Did you ever know of a queen to come on the out- 

 side of the hive, that is an old one? She is two 

 years old. Can you give any cause? The bees are 

 working all right in the sections. 



Bwartz, Pa., July U. A. A. Simpson. 



Yes, friend S., we have known old queens 

 to come out of the hive. It is, however, not 

 a very common occurrence. I once saw a 

 queen a year old or more come out on the 

 alighting-board, and then go back. At an- 

 other time a queen was found on top of 

 the honey-boara when the cover was removed 

 from the hive. Others have reported seeing 

 them come out and take wing ; but it is 

 probably quite a rare thing. 



WHY DID THE BEES KILL OFF THE DRONES IN 

 JUNE, WITH PLENTY OF HONEY IN THE HIVES ? 



I see in Gleanings where other people have 

 their drones killed off in June. They were killing 

 off the drones with me too, and, worst of all, with 

 me they killed five of my best queens, and they had 

 lots of honey at the time. Can you give me the 

 cause? The bees were drawing them out alive, and 

 1 would take and smoke the bees and put them 

 back, but ail in vain. They would take them out 

 again, and she had the comb well filled with brood 

 at the time. D. B. McMillan. 



Mikado, Mich., July 7. 



I too have known bees to kill not only the 

 drones, but their queens, during a great 

 dearth of honey ; but I never knew them to 

 do this when honey was coming in, even in 

 a small quantity^ 



OUR FRIEND BOOMHOWER'S MISFORTUNE. 



We have met with quite a misfortune, and I 

 thought 1 would write and let you know of it. On 

 the 17th of this month my papa was in a neighbor's 

 barn getting hay, and he fell from the mow, about 

 22 feet, fracturing his right wrist very badly, and 

 he had a large gash cut over his eye, and his face is 

 bruised very badly. We are in the midst of our bee- 

 work, and he is disabled so that he can't do a thing. 

 But it was a very lucky fall, as he might have 

 killed himself. He struck on the bare barn floor. 

 Our bees are doing very well so far. We don't re- 

 member when they have been in better shape for 

 working. But we have no one to help us with them 

 now, and don't know what we shall do. I hope the 

 bees at the home apiary are doing well. 



Edna A. Boomhower. 



Gallupville, N. Y.. July 21, 1890. 



poplar, aspen-tree, etc." The tulip is an American 

 tree, and the name poplar can have been applied 

 to it only since the settlement of America, while in 

 the Latin form, pupulus, the name has been applied 

 to trees of the aspen genus (including quaking as- 

 pen, Cottonwood, balm of Gilead, Lombardy poplar, 

 etc ), for over two thousand years. Of course, pop- 

 ular names are decided by usage; but I think that 

 more people will understand if you call the aspen 

 and trees of that genus " poplar " than will under- 

 stand if you call tulip-tree "poplar." 

 Oxford, Ct., July 26. E. B. Haroer. 



USE of terms; the editor SUSTAINED. 



I should like to say in regard to the poplar ques- 

 tion in Gleanings for July 15, that I think you are 

 nearer right than Mr. Touchton in your use of the 

 name. Webster defines poplar as " a tree of the 

 genus Populus, of several species; as, the black 



ENCOURAGING FROM TEXAS, FOR HORSEMINT. 



I left Sarnia, Ont., Canada, in December, 1«S9, for 

 Cameron, Texas, to take Mr. E. Y. Terral's bee-yard 

 No. 2 on shares. I found, when I came here, 45 

 colonies, a number of which were weak. I moved 

 them to a new location 12 miles away. I increased 

 them to 63, and extracted about ;51U0 lbs. of nice 

 horsemint honey. Friend Root, you would be de- 

 lighted to see the great fields of horsemint. It 

 beats our fields of white clover in the north. 



A GuOD REPORT FOR THE STANLEY HONEY- 

 EXTRACTOR, p 



I extracted alone, in one day, with the Stanley, 

 48 gallons, taking out the honey, and uncapping it 

 and putting back the empty combs alone. The 

 next day I took alone 40 gallons. I could not have 

 done that with a small two frame extractor, and 

 two helpers. T. H. Mills. 



Cameron, Tex., July 14. 



MANUM'S CROP VERY SMALL. 



As the honey season is over here I send you a 

 brief report. This being the "off "year for bass- 

 wood we did not expect much from that source, 

 though we sometimes get a little; but this year 

 none. Owing to the wet and cold June there was 

 but little chance for the bees to work on the abun- 

 dant bloom of clover, hence our crop of honey is 

 very short. I shall not get over 6 or 8 lbs. pei colo- 

 ny, and but very little increase— not enough to 

 make up the loss in winter. A. E. Manum. 



Bristol, Vt., July 21. 



HONEY CROP A TOTAL FAILURE. 



The honey crop for Missouri so far is almost a 

 total failure. A drought of three weeks the latter 

 part of June and up to the 10th of July killed white 

 clover and other flowers, and some bees at present 

 are in a starving condition. Colonies that were 

 strong the first of June stored enough honey to last 

 them until fall flowers appear. Since July luth we 

 have had sufficient rain to insure a good fall flow, 

 other things being favorable. The opening of the 

 present season was very promising. Never before 

 in this section was there so much enthusiasm 

 shown and interest taken in bees, though now all is 

 quiet, bees as well as bee-keepers. The scarcity of 

 honey in our section will hold prices firm. 



J NO. Nebel & Son. 



High Hill, Mo., July 19, 1890. 



POOR YIELD IN RICHLAND CO., WIS. 



One year ago to-day you came to visit me, and, 

 oh how much different this year from last! I had 

 over 3000 lbs. of honey in the house, and honey- 

 boxes were full. This year I have not 100 lbs. in the 



