for; 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



pollen had disappeared and gave more, and the mor- 

 tality ceased immediately. These last I kept closed 

 -i veral days dreading robbers, but opened them all in 

 the evening and swept off the bottom-board. The 

 Sago tree commenced blooming about the 5th of June 

 and bloomed freely about three weeks ami still has 

 some straggling blossoms left. Did your seed germin- 

 ate:- Have you any plants living now? I have never 

 heard whether any one has succeeded in making 

 them grow. Anna Saunders, "Woodville, Miss. 



Our seed, we are very sorry to say, did not 

 germinate — not a seed. Perhaps we did not 

 put it in a good place ; in fact it is — done up in 

 the original papi r, in a drainer at our elbow. 



"VVe beg your pardon sincerely Miss Anna, 

 and will plant some within the next hour. 

 Can't say for the other folks. 



In regard to the small colonies ; we really 

 doubt it they pay as a general thing-. If pos- 

 sible we prefer to give them bees, and brood 

 enough, that they may keep away robbers and 

 gather pollen, almost immediately. 



DEAR NOVICE :— Those Queens arrived so safely, 

 and were so smart and lively that I must have another 

 right away. I exchanged Queens with Mr. McMurdo, 

 as mine was delayed. He said he would let me have 

 his and take mine when it came; Ijfelt almost sorry af- 

 ter I saw the one sent me. as it was the largest and 

 lighter colored, those sent McMurdo being pretty 

 dark. Hurrah for sending Queens by mail, and for 

 those tin Queen cages. 



Jla Michener, Low Banks, Ontario, Canada. 



We have perhaps omitted to state that our 

 imported daughters are dark; indeed, some of 

 them just before fertilization can hardly be dis- 

 tinguished from common Queens, but after 

 they are laying, they become much lighter un- 

 less it be the extremity of the body which re- 

 mains dark, or as Dadant expresses it, of a dark 

 leather color. The dark Queen mentioned 

 above was daughter of an Imported Queen. 



1. Is the statement true that Italians work on the 

 red clover? We have no Buck-wheat for a fall crop, 

 but the Astor is abundant, and I suppose as good. 



2. Do you prefer hives one, or two stories? 



:i. is it not better to give the same room laterally, 

 than perpendicularly? That is, widen the hive till it 

 will hold twenty frames in one story, and contract by 

 close fitting boards in winter, to ten." 



4. How many frames (I.angstroth) are best for a full 

 colony of Italian bees ? 



5. is it best to keep the honey well extracted during 

 the entiie season? I have done that in some of my 

 stocks, and they have reared much more brood than 

 those where the combs have not been kept empty. 



advise me to keep tin' combs empty all through 

 the. season, even if I have to put the honey back in the 

 fall. 



i see by the copy of Gleanings you were kind 

 enough to send me, that you make it your business to 

 answer all the questions your correspondents ask yea. 

 That is the only excuse *I have to offer for this long 

 list of questions which I hopeneitner offend or wea- 

 ry you. i am going to lake your GLEANINGS, and I 

 hope that will keep me posted in future. I am a 

 '( lountrj Doctor," and have just time enough from my 

 professional care.-, to write an occasional impertinent 

 letter, and al tend to a lew stands of bees. I made my- 

 mysi If a honey extractor with a 12 gal. lard stand, tin, 

 and the castings of a patent churn. 



J. E. Fry, Lynnville, Tenn. 



t. Most certainly they do, but not at all 

 seasons. While we invariably And them on it 

 working briskly in June, we seldom see them 

 take any notice of it in the fall. Whenever the 

 common bees are busy on white clover Ave rare- 

 ly fail to find tlte Italians busy on the red. 



2, and 3. We really cannot give a full, deci- 

 ded preference for either form, and opinions 

 differ widely ;is you nitty see by reports. Each 

 form lias it* advantages and disadvantages. 



4. About twenty during the honey season, 

 and :. it luring the winter. 



5. By all means, we should say, whenever 

 it is coming in briskly. 



We should be ill natured indeed, were we to 

 refuse to answer any question coming from a 

 "country doctor" or minister either for that 

 matter. If they make it their business to serve 

 mankind all their lives uncomplainingly, we 

 certainly should be willing to help them when- 

 ever we can. 



Both of my Queens— one from Blakeslee and one 

 from Dean, arrived safely and in tine order. I notified 

 both senders instanter, and send a card to thank you 

 and to say that I have been quite successful in intro- 

 ducing them, particulars bye and bye. J. McMuBDO. 



The "dollar Queen" business seems now to 

 have a firm basis, but since our note last month, 

 saying we were nearly caught up with orders, 

 so many have come in that we fear some may 

 have to lay over until next season. In such 

 cases please state explicitly whether you wish 

 the money returned, or to have them placed 

 first on the list next season. 



G. Brigs, of New Sharon, this Co., had considerable 

 basswood honey collected this season, although living 

 three miles from any basswood timber. 



II. Wilkin, Oscaloosa, Iowa. 



After our main crop is over, our bees go to 

 the low lands near the river, where it blossoms 

 later, about a* mile and a half perhaps ; they 

 still store considerable, but their wings soon 

 get very ragged, and many doubtless perish 

 from flying so great a distance. Enough may 

 be brought three miles perhaps to give the 

 honey a plain basswood flavor but we should 

 hardly think it carried profitably so far. 



The quilts stick rather tightly to the frames, so as to 

 raise some when it is taken off." Is there any remedy ? 

 Have been thinking that if something could be used 

 not touching the frames at all, it would be better. 

 Would it not be a good plan to have the covers on 

 hives so fixed that the sun could shine on the quilts 

 or straw mats; that is, in spring and fall, or in the 

 summer time when not too hot. 



Peteii Mover, Sharpsville, Pa. 



We find little trouble if the quilt be taken 

 by one edge near the end of the frames, and 

 "peeled" off. This will not disturb the frames, 

 nor the bees seriously. If the quilt is kept up. 

 we do not get the advantage of closed top 

 frames, that we do when it comes down close 

 to them. We think, (see Problem 8, Vol. 1) 

 letting the sun shine on the quilt in spring 

 would certainly be an advantage if it did not 

 induce flying in unseasonable weather; noth- 

 ing but careful experiment can tell how it 

 will do. 



FRIEND NOVICE :— Would it interest you, or your 

 readers, to know how the bee business is prospering 

 "away down East," among the "Blue noses." Well. 

 almost universally, it is the old style— box hives- -plen- 

 ty of swarms— no honey. Thanks to GLEANINGS, 

 there is at least one exception. Convinced by your 

 writings that there was money in the business of bee- 

 keeping, I adopted "Novice" "as my model, and went 

 ahead. Though oar acquaintance extends but little 

 over a year, yet the wind-mill, Novice's extractor, IB 

 Simplicity hives, the hexagonal apiary etc., all are 

 here. 



Last spring I began with i.'! storks— 16, in old mova- 

 ble comb hives, 27 in boxes which I purchased for 

 about 82.50 each. All were safely wintered, and by 

 judicious feeding were. in good condition when the 

 honej harvest began The spring, and first part of 

 summer were very cold and wet. No honey was ob- 

 tained from fruit blossoms, and I was obliged to feed 

 my bees on the 4th of July to prevent starvation. Mj 

 27'box hives were transferred, but ' could only get 

 enough good comb out of ge to Jill 



four of my Quinby names. This lei ■ of six 



frames. The honey harvest began the 6th of July. 



