4? 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



April. 



gave but very few egajs compared with ours, 

 and they almost invariably froze, as did the 

 combs and feet of the fowls, besides. 



H 11 .111 1> u |g w si ii d N >v in clleiM 



l*ei*talnlng: to Hoe Culture. 



[We respectfully solicit the aid of onr friends in 

 conducting this department, ami would consider it 

 a favor to have them send us all circulars that have 

 a deceptive appearance. The greatest care will be at 

 all times maintained to prevent injustice being done 

 ; ny one.] 



1 



ton has been offering her $15.00 Controla- 

 bie hive for seven dollars, but the magnificent 

 offer was only to remain open until Feb. 24th, 

 and we didn't get the circular until March. 

 After above date, price is positively be as 

 heretofore $15.00. This hive is not patented ; 

 oh no ! but if $7.00 gives a profit we yankees 

 would like to know — There ! we wonder if the 

 §10.00 Honey receipt isn't offered for less than 

 half of its value too,/w a very few days. 



Very few patent hive circulars have come in 

 of late, yet there are other swindles in the bee 

 business that need ventilating. Foremost 

 among them comes our Queen-rearing friend 

 of Keliey's Island, who writes letters using the 

 terms " thee" and " thou," we're sure we don't 

 know for what reason, for he can't be a Quaker. 

 They wouldn't advertise as he has done, at 

 extra prices, and then send those reared else- 

 where. A gentleman who will come forward 

 if need be, tells us there was not a single Queen 

 reared for sale on the Island last season, and 

 that our " thee" and " thou" friend did nut 

 reside there. Worse than all, the real genuine 

 Foul Brood, is raging there badly, and lie was 

 informed, they had been unable to stop it, 

 even though they had tried burning, burying, 

 and all prescribed remedies. As there are but 

 few colonies there, could not our Ohio Bee 

 Keepers afford to buy them, and have them 

 entirely destroyed until such a time as the 

 Island shall have become free from contagion. 

 Those who have had experience can tell that 

 the disease is no trifling matter. 



Would it not be better in shipping Queens, 

 to use only sugar or candy, and to destroy all 

 combs received with them. It realty seems no 

 more than just that every locality where the 

 disease has prevailed should be given publicity, 

 even should it occasionally result in pecuniary 

 loss to single individuals. 



If any facts can be brought to show we are 

 in error in regard to the Island, we shall be 

 most happy to publish them. 



Another class of evils cries out for a remedy ; 

 the following extract will illustrate it. We 

 stand ready to furnish all names when neces- 

 sary. 



DEAR NOVICE:— I am much obliged to you for 



your service in the matter between me and— . I 



shall write for him to return the money and should he 

 do so, you may withhold the complimentary notice 1 

 sent you, as I should dislike to do any body an injus- 

 tice, and am willing in give him tlie benefit of his 

 ezplanations, though its hard for me to believe. 



\l"i;ii the same time (1872) I sent the money to , 



I also sent (830.) to- for two Imported Italian 



Queen Bees, I still hold their acknowledgement of the 



receipt of the money, but the Queens have not come: 

 to hand, nor have they returned the money; they 

 wrote me once that they would send me some of their 

 wares, or any thing else they had to sell, but I do not 

 want their wares, nor the bees now, as I have ree'd 

 Queens from other parties. I have so informed them™ 

 but the money is not forthcoming. Money is as scarce- 

 as "hens teeth" down here, the use of the $30. would 

 have been worth $5.00 to me for the time they have 

 had it. J. P. Parker, 



Alamo, Tenn. March 5th, 1874. 



The remedy we should suggest for such 

 cases would be to sen 1 directions with the 

 order to have the money returned unless the 

 order could be filled inside of 10, 80, or 90 days 

 as the case mijjht require. Parties who can- 

 not comply with such a simple request are not 

 deserving of patronage, and should be held up 

 publicly to warn our friends and neighbors. 



^©^■■CMrFlto Inc o .ii i» si «*• i n jg * 



AST season was a splendid honey season here, 

 I One Italian stock gained (i lbs. in a day, and 

 ] built the comb. A new Italian swarm came out 

 June 9th, and filled 9 frames of comb, each frame 

 10x14 outside measurement, and 35 lbs. surplus; the 

 surplus was removed and the rest left lor winter, ami 

 they are ail right to-day; the 35 lbs. were all sold at 

 (;o cts. a lb., giving me cash money $21.00, how is that 

 for Italians ? 

 Limeport, Pa. Tiios. F. Wiltman- 



FRIEND NOVICE :— My Bees (35 colonies) have all 

 wintered all O. lv., 10 on pure loaf sugar. Kept in 

 house built on same principle as yours. Think; the 

 sugared ones, the most dormant. All had a good fly 

 on March 2nd. Hard work to wake up the Italians, 

 particularly those we fed on "sugar syrup." All the 

 blacks 1 have (5 colonies) were quite uneasy and hives 

 slightly soiled, but colonies strong. I now" think that 

 a warm house, (not below 40 ° F.) "Sugar syrup," and 

 Italian Bees, combined, make wintering a certainty. 

 Raised over $800. worth of honey from 10 colonies, 

 last season, and expect to till the cellar, the coming 

 year. Don't much expect to revolve quite so much 

 can, the coming season as we did last. 



1 think the cause of my success is, that I made api- 

 culture a specialty. Do not think tanners should 

 keep bees, any more than run a carpenter's shop, or 

 saw-mill. For a good job, one iron in the fire at 

 a time. JamesHeudo.n. 



DoWagiac, Mich. March 13th, 1874. 



Now friend H. you have certainly hit the 

 nail on the head in one thing, and by the way 

 it hits us pretty squarely on the head too. 

 There may be a difference of opinion in regard 

 to farmers keeping bees, but 'tis morally cer- 

 tain that one thing done well affords more 

 pleasure and profit too, than a dozen things 

 done in haste and of course poorly done. We 

 really believe our present loss in wintering 

 was on account of the "too many irons," for 

 we really could not find time to do, what we 

 earnestly insisted on having our readers do, 

 viz ; build up our colonies strong in the fall. 

 We have a desperate determination now ; of 

 giving our whole time to Gleanings and the 

 bees, and if some of the pesky " irons" don't 

 get scattered right and left regardless of the 

 loss entailed it will be — well, if the conse- 

 quence should be that we don't earn more than 

 25c. a day, we'll make our expenses come under 

 24, and we'll just enjoy ourselves, having fun 

 with the bees, and writing letters to such 

 pleasant friends as yourself Mr. H. and the 

 rest of our bee acquaintances. We have made 

 our Journal larger this month just on purpose 

 to have a " big talk," without feeling we were 

 crowding something, and to allow our corres- 

 pondents to compare ideas more freely also. 



