1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



857 



'\Vo have priU'tic'cd contraction for a good 

 many ycai's. and believe a little of it is a good 

 thing. Too niiicli is worse tiian none. 



New York. ('. P. H. Ei.wooD. 



I do not know . As a rule. I do n<)t think theiv 

 is much ad\antage in contraction, except foi' 

 newly hived swarms. Then it pays. 



Illinois. N. C. .1. A. (!i!Ei:.v. 



It would re(iuir<> more experiments than I 

 have made to give my answ(>r much value. My 

 oi)inion and practice favor a small hrood-ciiam- 

 bcr not conti'acted when surplus begins. 



Ohio. N. W. E. E. H.vstv. 



If one wishes to secure all the white honey in 

 sections, it can be more readily done by con- 

 tracting. I would advise contracting as much 

 as possible for winter. 



\'ermont. N. AV. A. E. Manxtm. 



Taking a sei'ies of yeai's, or one year, I am 

 very firm in the belief that the conti'action of the 

 brood-chamlier at the right time in the honey- 

 harvest is the jnost profitable manipulation a 

 comb-honey pi'oducer ever did. 



Michigan. S. W. James Heddox! 



Contraction of the lirood-nest is good only in 

 early spring, foi' the i)uipose of making the bees 

 breed up. It is advisable at no other time of 

 the year, excepting, peihaps, for safe wintering, 

 if the colonv is weak in the fall. 



Ohio. S. W. C. F. MuTii. 



I don't know. For a single year more honey 

 can be thrown into a super (theoretically at 

 least) by contracting; bat when you say "a 

 series of years," that may alter the case. My 

 observations of late years have made me less 

 sui'e that contraction has any value. 



Illinois. N. C. C. Millek. 



In running for extracted honey I leave the 

 brood-nest the same size the year round: for as 

 long as there is any prospect of honey to be 

 gathered. I want plenty of bees to gather it; and 

 when the honey fails, the bees will do their 

 own contracting as far as brood-rearing. 



Wisconsin. S. W. S. I. Fi:eeb()I!x. 



At present we aic opposed to contraction. It 

 induces swarming, uhen running for comb 

 honey it heaves tlu! brood-chamber bare of hon- 

 ey for winter stores. In our out-apiary run for 

 extracted honey, conti-action caused s\v;irniing 

 in nearly <'very instance, while hives left witli 

 no restriction to tiie queen did not swarm. We 

 do not believ(> in close contraction. 



New York. E. Rambi-ek. 



The above reports seem to Indicate pretty 

 clearly that contracting about or just before 

 the harvest time is not so much practiced now 

 as it used to be wlien most of the readers of 

 Gi.EAXiXGs had only a few colonies, and could 

 look at every colony night and morning, to see 

 when it needed more room. Our friend Dean, 

 forniei'ly of River Styx, nc^ar here, used to t)e 

 one of the champions in this line; and for build- 

 ing up colonies it certainly worked wond<'rs so 

 far as crowding the bees and the honey into 

 surplus-receptacles was concerned. The recent 

 demand for eight-frame instead of ten-frame 

 hives seems to be in line with tln' idea. 



FROri DIFFERENT FIELDS. 



X. A. B. K. A.; now TO rHOVIl>E FOI! PEiniA- 

 XEXT funds; a (iOOD SUOGESTIoX. 



Friend Hoot:— As you said at the Iveokuk 

 meeting, that you would un(leital<e to gi't twen- 

 ty or thirty life-members to the association, 

 and as we must try to nuinage to save a certain 

 capital for the association. I suggest that we 

 make it a i)oint to have the funds thus gatliered 

 invest''d in some safe interest-bearing invest- 

 m(Mit. ///(' interest only to be used Ijy the associ- 

 ation. In this w ay we can perpetiuite the good 

 work and create an int<>rest. I would ev(>n go 

 fuither; for, as the yearly subscribers are usu- 

 ally sufficiently numerous to pay annual ex- 

 penses, it seems to me we ought to setaside also 

 the afliliation fees of the State, Territorial, 

 and local associations. In a f(;w years we 

 should have a capital large enough to enable 

 us to offer jjrizes and premiums for competition, 

 and we should raise an interest much greater 

 than formerly in our meetings. Would you be 

 so kind as to take the matter in hand, and dis- 

 cuss itin (iLEAXiXGsV We must- do something 

 to get out of the old rut. C. P. Dadaxt. 



Hamilton, 111., Nov. 7. 



All right, Secretary Oadant. We will back 

 you in all your suggestions as far as we can. 

 Now, then, who among the readers of Geean- 

 iNGS is willing to pay up and stand by us in the 

 effort to make the North American Bee-keepers' 

 Association a permanent institution? It will 

 cost you S^IO.OO, it is true; but after that you 

 can attend the convention for forty years, if you 

 live so long, and not pay any thing. I have in 

 mind quite a few of our readers who, I think, 

 might, could, and should stand up. Let tis hear 

 from you. Who will be first ? So far as I know, 

 the editor of the Ameriean Bee Journal, and 

 Ernest and my.self, are at present the only life- 

 members. Who will stand with us? 



TO those coxtempeatixg going to the 

 alfalfa fields. 



Frloid Root: — There is some inquiry in 

 Gleaxixgs about whether it would b(> profit- 

 able to move bees to the alfalfa fields of the 

 Southwest. I would not advise it on that source 

 alone. I had two years of experience in Utah, 

 in the Great Salt Lake Valley. I had at one 

 lime 44 colonies, and I do not think levei-got any 

 honey from the hay-fields, although tlieri' wimc 

 hundreds of acres near. Where it is raised foi- 

 liay it is cut as soon as it gets in full bloom, and 

 before it secretes any honey. Where it is raised 

 extensively for seed it is different, and one may 

 usually depend on a fair yield. It is of excellent 

 flavor, bill a little inferior to sweet clover. 

 Sweet clover grows promiscuously all over the 

 Salt Lake Valley, wlierever there is moisture 

 enough for it to get a start, and I think tiiat is 

 what makes I'tah hoiiev the finest flavored in 

 the woild. A. INIgCav. 



OlynilJia. Wash., Nov. 1.'). 



WILL FBEEZIXG IIUKT F0UN1).\T10N ? 



Where foundation is kept dry. will freezing, 

 light, or air. injure it in any way for use next 

 year? -Lvs. A. .Vdams. 



(irimiii City, .Mo.. No\ . lo. 



Friend A., the fi'e(!zing will do no harm at all. 

 l)roviding some incon.siderate person does not 



