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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1875 



Last winter my brother in St. Louis, Mo., sent me a 

 package of whatwas said to be Alsike clover seed, I 

 aowed part of it in our garden and the enclosed twigs 

 ai*e specimens of the result. The same thing has 

 grown along the river banks and the hill side since I 

 was a boy, and has been a soui'ce of annoyance to the 

 farmers, for when it gets well rooted it is very dillicult 

 to eradicate. Although it grows all around "my liives 

 and lias been blossoming for a week I never" saw a 

 bee light on a flower. This docs not in the least re- 

 semble any of the sorts of clover I am familiar with, 

 and if it is really Alsike I am badly disappointed for I 

 ■wish to grow a good bee pasturage. 



The plaut sent is ^epata Glechorna, familiarly 

 known as Gill-over-the-frround. It belongs to 

 the Cat mint family, and the leaf bears quite a 

 resemblance to the catnip ; it bears a small 

 blue flower and forms a dense mat of vines, 

 and is truly a bad weed. The plant in m(3St 

 localities bears considerable honey and several 

 specimens have been sent us of late stating 

 that the bees were getting honey from it in 

 considerable quantities. In your case friend 

 C, your clover seed was probably old, like 

 much of that in the market, and failing to ger- 

 minate the vine came up in its stead. As an 

 illustration of its hardiness we might mention 

 that in our boyhood days, our father oflered 

 one of "us boys'" a horse, if we would get the 

 weed out of the garden — "mother" had intro- 

 duced it with a lot of other "posies" some 

 years before, she admired it on account of the 

 pretty little blue flower Brother never got 

 the horse. 



Very early this spring 1 sowed some catnip seed 

 from 'llicc, of Seville, but not a seed germinatetl. I 

 sent also to Indiana, for cuttings of basswood but none 

 of them grew. 



In regard to the catnip seed, Mr. Rice has 

 informed us, that much to his astonishment, 

 he has not succeeded in getting the seed to 

 grow, and that he will cheerfully refund the 

 money in all cases of like failure. 



I regi-et I could not have had the June No. a week 

 earlier, for I might have saved the other t of the 5 

 Queen cells formed in one of my hives. I tried Kretch- 

 mer's Queen cell j)rotectors, but they all proved fail- 

 ures in my case. 



Ben S. Cole, Tiltonville, Ohio. 



We have no faith that any thing can be made 

 practicable for protecting the cell when al- 

 lowed to remain among the bees. The plan 

 given in the June No., we think much the sa- 

 fest for beginners. 



GF:NTS:-I thought r would write you that I had 

 the lirst natural swarin from my bees on May the •24th. 

 Ic is a pure Italian. Many of my stocks lia'd become 

 very weak but they are increasing very fast now. I 

 never before had as many Queenless and drone layer 

 stocks, as I have had this si>ring. Lost up to 78 colo- 

 nie-5 during winter and spring^ Bees on an average 

 are stronger now than they were a year ago. The 

 hives are full of brood and will turn out lots of swarms 

 in from '2 to 4 weeks. 



AU.4.JI GiiiMM, Jefferson, Wis. May 28th, 1875. 



Seventy -eight lost in 1158 would be at the 

 rate of about seven per cent, which we call 

 very fair for so large an Apiary. It seems to 

 give us unfortunate ones courage, to hear that 

 even Adani Grimm, too, has the "modern" 

 "dwindling down," spring troubles to contend 

 With. 



I have 44 good colonies of bees from 47 last fall. 

 11. 1'Ai.MEit, iLu-t, Oceana Co., Mich. May '24, '75. 



PEAR XOVrciO:— I've got the "Medley" and what 

 a nuiltitudc of rellections the array of faces brinijs up, 

 liow diiVerent they look fi-om what our imaginiitions 

 liad pictured them, how odd and dlsaiipointcd one 

 i'ocli to be thinking all this time ttiat perhaps we 



mifiht be the best looking man in the Medley, and 

 then to lind that there are about 150 belter looking 

 ones. I might jjossibly except the gentleman up in 

 the left hand corner, but then I had rather some one 

 else would be the judge, but it is only half finished 

 now. Why did jou not get them all on ? Where are 

 Bidwell, and Alley, and Shaw, and Van Deusen, and 

 Hoagland, and Dadant Senior ? (By the way last lall I 

 received an imported Queen from Dadant, she lays 

 drones in worker cells. I informed Mr. Dadant of that 

 fact and no sooner had he got wind of it, than right 

 along came another Queen to replace her, why don't 

 all bee men do so? if you want to be sure of vour 

 Queens, buj' of Dadant.) And then where are King 

 (but then I have Homer's uicture, took it when he was 

 here years ago selling tne hive that gave so much 

 trouble), and Winder, and Kidder, and Benedict, and 

 Brother Flanders, "W. A. Flanders A. M" that used to 

 make things so lively for us at the State fairs ? Some 

 8 or 10 years ago he was at State fair at Harrisburg 

 with his hat full of bees, one stung him on the head. 

 I pulled the sting out for him and at his request 

 rubbed oil some extract of "Quinbee," he said it was 

 good, and straightway sold a dozen botttles ; as a ben- 

 efactor, lie should have put in an appearance certainly. 

 Theod. M. Moi/rz, West Fairview, Pa. June 9, '75. 



We should have been very glad to have in- 

 cluded the pictures of those you have mention- 

 ed friend M., but they woi»ld not send them. 

 We appealed to them for a period of over six 

 months, and that we might not be accused of 

 partiality, declared our intention of including 

 every one sent us. 



Speaking of Flander's Bee Charm reminds 

 us an account Mr. L. gave of one Twining, 

 who came to him to communicate that he had 

 made the grand discovery that Queen bees put 

 into Anise, etc., would communicate their 

 "taint" to the liquid in such a way as to allow 

 bees. Queens etc., to be handled with impunity 

 when the Angers were moistened with it. Mr. 

 L., knowing from experience how bees will 

 gather about any spot where a Queen has been, 

 gave the matter a trial, and behold, as Twining 

 said, hives could be opened without smoke, 

 Queens let loose any where, and two Queens 

 were even "swapped" from one hive to the oth- 

 er, and yet both kept right along laying as if 

 nothing had happened. Straightway the won- 

 derful discovery was communicated to Dr. 

 Kirtland, who was so incredulous, that he de- 

 sired Twining to make a trial of it on some 

 vicious hybrids. Twining full of faith pries 

 up the honey board and gives them a pufl" of 

 his Anise prepared breath, but to his great as- 

 tonishment the "charm" was broken, and the 

 hybrids stung him unmercifully. Another at- 

 tempt was made with Queens, but they were 

 killed "instanter," and the great revolution fell 

 to the ground with all except the unscrupulous 

 Flanders who continued to peddle his bottles 

 of "bee charm" as long as he could tiud "a fool 

 with money" or begging pardon, perhaps we 

 should say until the American Bee. Journal shed 

 its civilizing influence over "bcc-dom." 



Moral. — During the height of the clover or 

 linden harvest you can often unite colonies, 

 exchange and introduce Queens, without any 

 caging whatever, and with scarcely a failure ; 

 in fact there are times, when it seems as if 

 whole Apiaries forget to take any notice what- 

 ever, of strange Queens or strange bees, in 

 their infatuation to accumulate the treasures 

 flowing so bountifully from the blossoms. 

 When Queens are not of much value we often 

 let them loose at once on a comb of bees, being 

 ready to rescue them the very instant they 

 seem in danger. If you have smoke handy 

 there is but little risk. 



