GT.EAXINGS IN BEE CTJLTUKE. 



JAN. 



Gleanings in Be3 Culture, 



Published Monthly, 



J±. I. ROOT <SC CO-, 

 EDITORS AND PROPRIETORS. 



MEDINA, OHIO 



Terms: 75c. Per Annuiii. 



For Club Rates see Second Page. 



IMrEIDHXr^., J\A_2>T_ 1, 187'4- 



In answer to several inquiries in regard to 

 the "tea-kettle feeder," Ave would say that it is 

 neither patented nor patentable, nor is the idea 

 of soldering perforated tin over the mouth of a 

 tin fruit can, or any other utensil, for feeding 

 bees, patentable. 



On the wall opposite are a very pretty pair 

 of chromos. They were received from H. A. 

 King & Co., as samples of those they offer with 

 their* Journals. While we should not think of 

 estimating their value at $5 or $10 each, we 

 certainly consider them well worth the price 

 they ask for them to any one wishing to purchase 

 picture*. 



When we quoted from Pres. Bingham's speech 

 last month we had not learned he had said 



"Novice" where Mr. King had placed a blank, 

 nor did we know that he had a "patent hive" 

 "all his own." Novice rubs his nose meditative- 

 ly on receiving the above items and remarks 

 something about having supposed he had fin- 

 ished that piece of work and "got everything 

 swept up clean." 



This No. with our circular will be sent to 

 many who are not subscribers, but hereafter 

 none except sample copies will be sent unless 

 paid for in advance; no exceptions. 



We prefer to send Gleanings to none except 

 those who really value it, and we should be 

 very sorry to intrude it upon any one who 

 might consider it an unwelcome visitor; there- 

 fore we accept no evidence of its being sincere- 

 ly wanted other than the customary remittance 

 of the modest little sum of 75c. or less in clubs. 



Mrs. Tupper, in her Nov. Journal, says : "But 

 if we must nave a rule for the syrup we will 

 say a gallon of water to four lbs. of sugar." 

 Now we thought Mrs. Cotton's "feed" at six 

 cents a pound very cheap even if the recipe did 

 cost 110.00, and had we not wasted all our 



money for the "Ambrosial" we might have sent 

 for it; but Mrs T.'s plan is cheaper and she 

 don't charge anything either. Let us see, a gal- 

 lon of water weighing eight lbs, and sugar four, 

 makes 12 lbs., and total expense is less than 

 48c, or 4c. per lb. and we really think it the 

 "most wholesome food that can be made," only 

 we fear 'twould be like the old gent's discovery, 

 viz: that sawdust was excellent food for cattle 

 when mixed with bran, but a queer fact was 

 that the more bran he used, the better was the 

 "feed." We presume Mrs T. meant one quart 

 of water, instead of a gallon, but she should 

 remember that "little pitchers sometimes have 

 very long ears." 



We believe the consistency of the syrup as we 

 find it sealed up by the bees is at about the rate 

 of 20 lbs. of sugar to a gallon of water, with 

 sugar at 11 1-2 c, the real cost of syrup that 

 will compare well with honey and will cer- 

 tainly go as far for feeding, is very near eight 

 cents per lb. When feeding must be done 

 does any one doubt which is the cheapest? We. 

 have just sold our last barrel of Clover honey 

 for twenty cents. 



Bee Keeper's Magazine for Dec. contains an 

 excellent article by Mrs. Tupper, entitled, "All 

 About Hives." Her view of the subject is 

 liberal and broad, with a clear view of wants 

 and needs of future Bee-keepers. Her remark 

 that "the time is coming soon, however when 

 honey will not be sold in the comb at any 

 price," is rather a bolder assertion than even 

 Novice would make, yet we think it quite 

 probable, We can hardly agree with her that 

 bees should not be examined in winter, for our 

 view of things, if we had waited until Mai'ch, 

 for the past two seasons, might have been a 

 sorry one. 



We have supposed that a good many had 

 been saved by nursing them through the win- 

 ter, and that "a stitch in time saved nine," etc., 

 but it may be our efforts availed little after all. 

 So many report having wintered finely in cel- 

 lars where vegetables were kept, and where 

 lights and footsteps were matters of daily oc- 

 currence, that we are inclined to think the dis- 

 turbance occasioned by frequent inspection 

 not injurious. 



The suggestion that Novice claims to have 

 first discovered that bees could be wintered on 

 sugar is certainly a grave error, but that he 

 first advocated the idea in print that sugar 

 stores for winter was a remedy for the bee dis- 

 ease, and hence safer as well as cheaper, we 

 shall maintain until some document be shown 

 to the contrary. If Mr King does not yet feel 



