1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



577 



asked him whether it would pay, be said he had 

 tried it for years, and it paid big. With plenty of 

 water he will have 50 bushels that will bring a large 

 price on account of the scarcity of fruit and berries. 

 Without water, a few days more will make them a 

 failure. As I write, our lOOO-barrel tank is almost 

 full, and the mill still pumping. A builder came in 

 and asked what I would take for IB barrels of water. 

 I told him I had never been in the business of sell- 

 ing water, and that he could have it and welcome. 

 Moral.— Don't you think a big tank, with a nice 

 windmill, a pretty good thing to have in a dry time ? 



AN APOIiOGY. 



Some time in April, Messrs. A. F. Stauffer & Co., 

 of Sterling, HI., sent us notice that they were burn- 

 ed out. Insteadof notifying their customers of their 

 misfortune by an editorial, as common courtesy 

 would dictate, by some means or other their notice 

 was set up as an advertisement, and they were 

 charged for It. The above confession is a little hu- 

 miliating, I admit, as it implies that none of the 

 heads of our establishment really knew what had 

 been in our advertising columns. By way of ex- 

 cuse, we urge the great amount of business during 

 the past season; but I know the excuse is a poor 

 one. Now, the whole point of this apology is, that 

 our friends who have trusted orders with A. F. 

 Stauffer & Co. should exercise patience and chari- 

 ty, and not be too severe on them. There is anoth- 

 er moral: Although their loss was something like 

 $3000, by neglect their insurance had been allowed 

 to run out. Please look after your insurance, 

 friends, especially if you are a supply-dealer, even 

 if you are so busy that you can not attend to any 

 thing else. 



THIS SEASON VERY DISCOURAGING; A HINT TO 

 HONEY-PRODUCERS. 



A FEW days ago we sent out a set of questions to 

 our statistical reporters throughout the United 

 States. As only about half of the statistical cards 

 have been returned, we can give only a partial re- 

 port; but that bee-keepers may know a little in ad- 

 vance what to expect, and so hold up on the price 

 on what little honey they may have gotten, we 

 thought best to say now that the cards so far re- 

 ceived show that this year is an exceptionally poor 

 season for honey— perhaps the worst in many years. 

 A good many of the veterans will not get more than 

 four or five pounds surplus per colony. With very 

 few exceptions the report is, all along the line, 

 " Season very poor, and prospects also poor." Cer- 

 tain parts of Kentucky, Virginia, Wisconsin, and 

 Minnesota, have had an exceptionally good season. 

 If you have secured any honey at all, don't be in 

 haste to sell it off too cheap. The crop in California 

 and Colorado will probably be good. We have hard- 

 ly had time to get reports from these sections. We 

 learn, also, that fruit is going to be rather scarce 

 this year. This will help materially to stimulate 

 the demand for what honey there is, and also to 

 stiffen prices a little. It is no use to say bees do not 

 pay. Farmers are complaining that they can not 

 get a living out of the soil. Fruit-men also will 

 probably complain about the past season. The fact 

 is, all these rural pursuits have their setbacks. The 

 best way is to look cheerful, be cheerful, and thank 

 God for what we have. 



Z/rr/rc.— Since writing the above, the prospects are 

 brightening. Reports are coming in of large crops 



of honey having been received in various localities. 

 Clover seems to be "hanging on" longer than was 

 expected. 



A BICYCLE TRIP AMONG THE YORK STATE BEE- 

 KEEPERS. 



The writer, Ernest, expects to make atrip through ' 

 York State by the aid of a bicycle and the locomo- 

 tive. I shall go by rail long distances, and for short 

 distances among the bee-keepers I shall travel on the 

 wheel, the weather permitting. I have recently 

 purchased a Victor high-grade Safety bicycle. I 

 shall be equipped, also, with a Kodak camera. 

 Many of the best bee-keepers are off from the rail- 

 road routes, and are located anywhere from eight 

 to twenty miles apart. My object in making this 

 trip is to get information upon a great many points 

 connected with our industry, by visiting bee-keep- 

 ers of large and varied experience, and of varied 

 opinions as well. I propose to go to Jamestown 

 first, to visit the W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. If the 

 roads permit I will then mount the wheel, pass 

 along the shores of beautiful Lake Chautauqua, 

 strike the railroad near the lake, and pass on to 

 Buffalo by rail. Thence I will take the cars to 

 Auburn, and mount the wheel and proceed to 

 Skaneateles, and then ride along the shores of the 

 lake of that name, and finally stop a few hours at 

 the home of that veteran bee-keeper and writer, G. 

 M. Doolittle. Thence I will pass on to Starkville, 

 the home of P. H.Elwood,oneof the most extensive 

 bee-keepers in the country. I hope to visit, in this 

 vicinity, Mr. Julius Hoffman, the inventor of the 

 Hoffman frame ; then Van Deusen & Sons, of flat- 

 bottom-foundation fame, and possibly take a short 

 run down to some of the apiaries of Capt. Hether- 

 ington. The captain is absent. for the present, I 

 understand. Thence I expect to join my wife at 

 Durham, on the Catskill Mountains. After a few 

 days' outing I hope to run up to A. E. Manum's, to 

 visit bee-keepers in that vicinity, and finally strike 

 out for Lake George, where a camping party of 

 some of the best bee-keepers of the land will be 

 present. This party will consist of Kambler, F. A. 

 Lockhart, J. H. Larrabee, and a good many other 

 bee-keeping friends, whose names are not an- 

 nounced. In regard to this camping party. 

 Rambler, in a letter received recently, writes: 



Friend E. B. Boot;— Bros. Larrabee and Lockhart 

 came down on the Rambler this morning, and to- 

 day the talk is nearly all on a camping party of bee- 

 keepers on Lake George. Mr. Lockhart has secured 

 a cottage on Plumb Bay, three miles from Caldwell, 

 where bee-keepers will assemble from the 19th to 

 the sad of August, where fishing and a good time 

 generally will be enjoyed. While we can not give a 

 free invitation to «;J that may come, we should be 

 pleased to see any who wish to join us, and guaran- 

 tee that the expenses will not be out of keeping 

 with a short honey season. If any bee-keepers wish 

 to be accompanied by their wives, there will be no 

 objections. Any further information can be ob- 

 tained by addressing Mr. F. A. Lockhart, Pattens 

 Mills, N. Y. 



About 13 bee-keepers have signified their desire 

 to form such a party, but we hope to get together 

 at least 2,5. We are having such an off season that 

 we can attend just as well as not. Rambler, 

 Supported by Lockhart and Larrabee. 



I am pleased to make mention of this trip,'80 that, 

 if there are any bee-keepers along the route whom 

 I might miss, and who would like to have a short 

 visit, if they will lot me know immediately perhaps 

 I can make it convenient to call upon them." I 

 ought not to go far from the Central. 



P. S.— I expect to send in notes on the way. 



